Grace of an Angel
by JamJar98
Summary: Jethro Gibbs never thought he'd be a single parent to his baby girl Kelly. After a rough start he finally thought he knew what he was doing. His whole world gets turned upside down when a fiesty woman walks into their lives and change everything, maybe for the better. *Jibbs* AU. Complete.
1. Meeting You

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own anything you recognize, everything belongs to CBS and those who run everything._

 **Warning:** _This is probably as AU as it gets and at times might appear OOC but hopefully you understand why. I'd also like to state this was written way before Season 13, so whatever happened doesn't apply here. Remember I said_ _ **AU**_ _. I don't have any children so most things are drawn from experiences I've had from babysitting my little sister. I haven't been anywhere but in South Africa so please forgive me when some geographical things are wrong._

 **A/N:** _This came to me during my summer holiday in December and I decided to run with it. I don't want to give the story away so stick with me on this one. I am aware that this type of story has been done before, but I'd like to think this one is different for a whole lot of reasons. By that I mean Kelly is alive. Now please I'm not trying to copy anyone, I just thought I'd like to share this with all of you. I'll all so provide a time line to make this story more understandable. To all my readers who are TIVA lovers, I'm sorry Ziva isn't with us any more, but I promise to give you loads of TIVA in future chapters. I was slightly baffled by the fact that Tony now has a daughter, but I think it's cool, what a way to exit right._

 _ **Time line:**_

 _ **1984:**_ _Gibbs and Shannon get married._

 _ **1991:**_ _Gibbs deployed (Desert Storm)._

 _ **1993:**_ _1) Kelly is born early March._

 _2) Shannon dies in car accident (Kelly wasn't with her)_

 _3) Gibbs get the news in Somalia(Operation Restore Hope 5 December 1992 – 4 May 1994)._

 _4) Gibbs joins NCIS._

* * *

The large cargo plane was deadly quiet, the only noise coming from the growling engines. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the dull throb of pain in his head to go away. He cleared his throat and licked his lips, he could still taste the desert sand. The plane jolted violently causing pain to course through his body, the soft material from his t-shirt felt like sandpaper on the burns covering his shoulders. Jethro sighed and looked around at the other passengers.

Most of them avoided his gaze, they weren't usually the ones who received bad news about loved ones. Jethro pulled two laminated pictures out of his breast pocket, tracing the outline of those in them. His stomach clenched painfully as the reality of everything started sinking in.

* * *

 _The scorching sun was already burning everything in its way, Jethro Gibbs limped across the hot sand. He smiled at the thought of his wife scolding him for not being careful. A gust of wind blew sand his way, causing his exposed burns to sting. He clenched his jaw and trudged towards the large tent. He was slightly confused as to why he had been called, he was set to go home in a couple of days. He unconsciously touched his breast pocket, feeling the two laminated pictures tucked away safely._

 _Spotting his C.O. standing near a group of Humvees, he changed course and walked towards him. His stomach clenched tightly as he got closer, a gut feeling, telling him something was wrong. He saw Patrick Kiley standing close by. He stopped, straightening his back and balling his fists, standing at attention._

" _At ease Gunny." The two men glanced at each other and then turned to Jethro. "Gunny, there's no easy way of putting this..." Jethro could feel his patience starting to slip as his C.O. kept stalling._

" _No disrespect Sir, but what is all this about?" Jethro watched as the two men looked at each other again, he caught Patrick's eye and glared at him, all he did was give him an apologetic look._

" _It's Shannon, Gibbs. She's dead." Jethro stared at both men, his muscles stiff from shock, he could feel his throat tightening. Shaking his head violently, he looked at both men waiting for the worst to come._

" _Kelly?" His voice was hoarse, his daughter wasn't even a month old yet and he hadn't even met her. He swallowed and searched the other men's faces._

" _She wasn't with Shannon. Gunny we're sorry." Jethro breathed deeply, fighting the sting in his eyes. He sank down in the hot sand, ignoring the heat, his heart hammering against his chest. Patrick placed a hand on his forearm, he squeezed offering him support._

" _Lynn has Kelly." Jethro nodded, he didn't trust himself to answer._

" _There's a cargo plane that leaves tonight, you and a few others will be going home." Jethro looked up at his C.O. nodding. "I'm sorry Jethro."_

* * *

The early morning sun was just starting to rise, bathing the large Marine Base in sunlight. The pink bundle squirmed as the sun filtered through the window. Lynn sighed heavily, new tears threatening to fall, swallowing the lump in her throat.

In the distance the distinct roar of engines could be heard. She watched as the cargo plane came closer. Wrapping the little girl tighter in the soft blanket, she cradled the small baby in her arms. She blinked away the tears and stepped out of the car, shivering as the wind blew across the airfield. She held the baby closer and made her way towards the hangar.

* * *

The rear hatch of the cargo plane opened slowly, early morning sun flooding the inside. Jethro stood slowly, he clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the pain surging through his body once again. Grabbing his duffel bag he made his way to the back of the plane. He watched as fellow marines were greeted by their loved ones, he sighed softly, he was hoping to see Shannon amongst the small group of people.

Jethro twisted the straps of his duffel bag around his wrist and started making his way towards the large doors of the hangar. His shirt rubbed against his shoulders painfully, taking a deep breath, he tried to focus on how he'd be getting home. A gentle touch on his shoulder stopped him, closing his eyes he reminded himself that Shannon was gone, he turned around.

Lynn Kiley stared up at him, her eyes red and puffy, in her arms a pink bundle. Jethro dropped his duffel bag, wiping his hands on his trousers, he reached out for the bundle hesitantly.

Cradling the tiny baby close to his chest. He rested his hand on her chest softly, assuring himself that his daughter was in fact alive. He gently removed the edge of the blanket that was covering her face. His eyes were stinging again, and a lone tear slipped down his cheek. He traced her features gently, her skin soft under his callused finger tips. A proud smile graced his lips briefly, all he cared about in that moment was keeping his baby girl safe.

Jethro lifted the little bundle higher, kissing her forehead softly. The baby cooed quietly at the attention, her grey eyes blinking open briefly. He couldn't help but smile once again.

"I'm your daddy Kelly."

* * *

Jethro stared out the car window watching as they passed several base houses, his grip ever so often tightening around Kelly. The uncomfortable silence surrounding him was slowly starting to suffocate him. He hated the sympathetic looks Lynn occasionally cast at him, he knew she meant well, but he wanted to be alone for a while to gather his thoughts.

The small three bedroom house came into view, Jethro breathed deeply, steeling himself for what was coming next. Kelly fussed in his arms, sensing the change in the person holding her.

The car came to a slow stop. Jethro stared at the house, contemplating whether he could go in or not. His car door opened suddenly, jerking him back to reality. Swallowing, he held his daughter closer to him and struggled out of the car, ignoring Lynn's helping hand. Resting Kelly against his shoulder he grabbed his duffel bag and slowly walked towards his front door.

The house was a slight mess, evidence that Shannon had been there. His aching skin was nothing compared to the dull throb in his chest. He stared at the pair of slippers that lay near the couch, he pulled Kelly closer, trying to find comfort. He threw the duffel bag on the floor and made his way to the small couch that occupied most of the room. Kelly started fussing again, this time softly whimpering, Jethro looked at her helplessly.

Lynn stood next to him resting her hand on his back. He glanced up at her, she smiled reassuringly and knelt in front of him. She pulled Kelly from his grasp and he reluctantly let her go.

"She's probably ready to be fed again. I'll show you how to make her bottle, okay?" He nodded numbly and followed her.

He listened to her instructions intently, filing them away for later. He welcomed the distraction, it kept his thoughts from wondering into the dark corners of his mind. Lynn handed the little girl over to her father helping him adjust her in his arms.

Jethro watched intently as his daughter latched onto the bottle, her loud cries dying down. Her small hand wrapped around his pinkie, rooting him to the spot, his heart thudded unexpectedly. Jethro leaned down pressing a kiss to his daughter's dark hair. He said a prayer of thanks for the little bundle that was giving him strength.

Lynn rested her hand on his forearm, he looked at her, his eyes clouded. "Jethro, if you want, I can help you look after Kelly." Jethro considered her offer for a while. He looked down at Kelly who seemed to be content for the time being. He shook his head slowly, he appreciated the offer, but he wanted to be alone.

"I think I'll manage, Shannon didn't make me read those baby books for nothing." He declined the offer gruffly. Lynn gave him a watery smile, she took the hint that he wanted to be alone and scurried around grabbing her things.

Jethro walked her to the front door, his knee starting to protest from all the walking. He opened the door for her and stepped outside as well. He cradled Kelly in one arm while giving Lynn a hug. The little girl grumbled at being moved around the whole time. Jethro held his daughter close to his chest, trying to keep her calm. Lynn rested her hand on his cheek.

"If there is anything you need, I'm only two doors down." She spoke softly, Jethro's only reply was a nod. She walked down the steps, stopping on the last one, turning back to face the man on the porch. "I really am sorry Jethro." He only stared at her.

Jethro stood on the porch for a while, he was reluctant to go back inside the house. Things were the way Shannon last left them, it felt like she was only out to run a few errands. He looked down at the little girl in his arms. Her large grey eyes stared up at him, she cooed softy before grabbing his finger again, pulling it towards her mouth. She was oblivious to the heartache that surrounded her.

* * *

Jethro lay across the small couch, his burned shoulders pressing into the cushions. His eyes were closed firmly, listening to his daughter's soft breathing as she lay asleep on his chest. He'd been reluctant to let her go, he'd seen her as the only thing that kept him focused, taking care of her occupied his mind enough to prevent him from thinking about Shannon.

He rested his hand on her back softly, feeling the rise and fall of her chest. He'd developed a fear of losing her if he let her go, a fear that she was an image his mind created in order for him to cope. Kelly groaned softly.

Jethro heard the slam of a car door, followed by heavy footsteps. He adjusted Kelly to rest her head against his shoulder. He stretched his knee out in front of him before standing. There was a short, loud knock on his door. He limped across the small room coming to a stop in front of the door. He rested his hand on the doorknob, contemplating whether he should send whoever was on the other side away. He'd done it to the last few people who had knocked on his door. Deciding to see who it was first, he opened the door.

Mike Franks pressed his cigarette against the heel of his boot, killing it. He turned around just as the door opened, revealing a young marine with a baby cradled close to him. He cleared his throat roughly and offered his hand to the young man who was glaring at him.

"Special Agent Mike Franks, NCIS. You must be Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs."

"What do you want?" Jethro asked flatly, he didn't know why NCIS was at his door anyway.

"May I come in?" Mike couldn't give the news to the young man on his doorstep.

Jethro stepped to one side, allowing the older man to enter. He walked straight to the living room, sitting down on the couch once again without offering the older man a seat. He looked at the Special Agent as he stood awkwardly in his living room.

"What does NCIS want from me?" Mike stepped closer to Jethro sitting in front of him on the small coffee table.

"It's about your wife's death. I don't know how much he know, but it wasn't an accident." Mike was silent, watching as the young man clenched his jaw, he clearly didn't like him stalling. "She'd witnessed a murder, agreed to testify against the SOB, said it was the right thing to do. She was due to testify today. There was an agent assigned to her and your daughter for protection."

Mike stopped again clearing his throat, "Three days ago, they were coming back from a doctors appointment when her driver was assassinated. The car spun out of control, causing it to roll. She was killed on impact."

Jethro gripped Kelly tightly against him, his jaw clenched. His blood ran cold, anger surged through his body. He'd do anything to get his hands on the bastard who took his wife away from him. He met Mike Franks gaze.

"You get him?" His voice was a low growl.

"No, the bastard fled to Mexico." Mike didn't miss the murderous look that crossed the other man's eyes. He'd seen the young Gunny's files, knew he was a sniper. "I need you to come down to NCIS field office. There's still some things we need to discuss."

Mike stood and pulled his card out of his coat pocket, he placed it on the table before making his way to the front door.

"I'm sorry Gunny." Mike met the young man's eyes, he could see the hatred and anger clouding them. He briefly wondered if it would matter to let the young man get his revenge.

* * *

Jethro stood in the small kitchen, trying to make a bottle while soothing his daughter. The girl hadn't stopped crying from the moment she woke up. He felt more than just helpless since he couldn't ask her what the problem was. Taking off the cap of the bottle he offered it to the tiny infant. She refused to take the bottle and kept crying.

He rocked her in his arms softly, hoping the movement would calm her down so she could take her bottle. He tried to offer her the bottle once more, but refused again to take it, her cries getting louder by the minute. His hands were itching to pick up the phone and call Lynn. He held off on the thought a while longer.

Jethro rested Kelly against his shoulder again and bounced her lightly. Her cries were now directed straight into his ear. He cringed slightly at the high pitched sound.

Jethro walked around the house trying to calm the crying baby down. He could feel his resolve not to call Lynn slowly start to slip. He'd checked her to see if she was dry and found that it wasn't the cause of all the crying. He marched up and down the hall, rocking her from side to side. His body was starting to protest from all the moving, his shoulders were raw and his knee was making it impossible to walk.

He stopped his pacing as Kelly seemed to quiet down, he looked at her as she stared back at him. He was more than relieved that the crying had stopped. He shifted her slightly in his arms, trying to relieve the burning sensation in his shoulders. Kelly's lip started to quiver, another cry filled the house. Jethro pulled her against him, resuming his pacing and rocking her slightly.

Jethro was clutching the phone in one hand, holding his daughter in the other. He punched in the number. He waited, rather impatiently, for the phone to start ringing. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to concentrate, the screaming in his ear was making the simple task impossible. He breathed deeply.

"Lynn Kiley-" She was cut of by the screaming.

"It's Gibbs, Kelly hasn't stopped crying since she woke up." She could hear the tiredness in his voice as he spoke.

"Give her a nice hot bath and she'll calm down, it seems to work. Afterwards take off your shirt and hold her close, the skin to skin contact makes your bond stronger." The line was quiet for a while, the only sound coming from the small infant. "Jethro?"

"Thanks." He spoke gruffly, and she wondered if reality had finally sunk in. He'd been pretty closed off and had held his daughter as if she was his only lifeline.

"Jethro, I can take Kelly-"

"No!" His voice was harsh, Lynn was slightly taken aback with his sudden hostility. There was a sigh, barely audible above the cries. "I just wanted to know how to stop the crying, thanks." The familiar click of the call ending was the only sound she heard.

Jethro watched as the small bath tub was slowly filling up with water. Kelly had tired of screaming and was whimpering softly. He dipped his hand in the water to feel if it was the right temperature, satisfied that it wasn't too hot, he leaned down and took Kelly out of her car seat. He undressed her swiftly, trying to prevent another bout of screaming.

He placed her in the small tub gently, watching as she stretched out as she came in contact with the hot water. Her whimpering died down as she seemed to relax. He breathed a sigh of relief as she quieted down. Her large grey eyes met his blue ones, he stroked her cheek and she gurgled in reply.

He was fine in watching her enjoy the relaxing heat of the water. He took one of her hands in his, resting it in his large palm. He counted her tiny fingers one by one, doing the same with the other one. He moved down to her feet, counting each toe. There was a lump in his throat as he wondered if Shannon had done the same thing.

The little girl reminded him of her mother so much. She shared her mother's nose and crooked little fingers. Her hair was dark, like his with a tinge of red in it, and he was more than sure that they would be curly the older she got. If she was anything like her mother she'd be fighting the curls every chance she got, forcing them to relax and be straight.

Washing her quickly, he lifted her out of the tub and wrapped her in a soft towel. He dried her and made quick work of putting on her diaper. He lifted her so he could find something for her to wear, only to have the diaper slide right off her. He rolled his eyes at himself, it was the third time it happened to him. He was sure the diapers were too big for her, not ready to admit that he didn't seem to fasten them tightly enough.

Jethro paced around his bedroom, cradling Kelly in on arm while the other held her bottle. She looked at him, he hummed quietly, trying to get her to sleep. Kelly pushed her bottle away, her cheek resting against his hot skin. She cooed softly as he sang the words of the lullaby, he could hear Shannon teasing him for being off tune. He smiled softly as Kelly smacked her lips and cuddled into him. Her breathing evened out as she fell asleep. He stopped pacing and laid her down in the bassinet that stood right next to the double bed.

They hadn't bothered to turn one of the other bedrooms into a nursery since their house in DC was already set up with everything. His deployment would have ended early anyway. Jethro scrubbed a hand across his face. The burns on his shoulders were aching along with his knee.

The hot water cascading down would have been a relief if it didn't sting so much. Jethro stepped out from under the spray so the water hit his chest instead. The burns were already healing but they were sensitive and raw from rubbing against his t-shirt all day.

He let the hot water run over his face. Up until he put Kelly to sleep he hadn't thought about Shannon being gone. Mike Franks had only caused him to close up and ignore the pain and heartache by being angry with everyone who had lied to him since the moment he found out. It was in the silence of the shower that he realised that some good-for-nothing bastard had not only taken his wife from him but also the mother of his child.

Jethro balled his fist and clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to yell in anger, in pain.

He slammed one fist into the tiled wall of the small shower, causing one of the tiles to crack. He didn't care for the two knuckles that were spilt open and bleeding freely. He rested his forehead against the cool tiles. He could still see Shannon's face the last time he said goodbye.

* * *

 _Shannon pulled the coat around her tighter, a small shiver running through her as the wind blew. She bit her lip to fight the tears from falling, the lump in her throat becoming more unbearable. She wiped her nose with the over used tissue. She watched as Jethro loaded his duffel bag in the bed of his pick-up. She rested her hand on the baby bump, rubbing soothing circles._

 _She wanted to blame the tears on all the hormones, but she knew that she was afraid of losing Jethro, now more than ever. It wasn't his first deployment, in actual fact it was his last, but since Desert Storm she'd been more than paranoid that he'd never come back. She felt the baby kick her hand softly, causing her to smile, at least she'd have company while he was deployed._

 _Jethro walked towards her, smiling sadly, she knew he'd been upset when he'd received word that he'd be shipping out. They both knew that he wouldn't be back before Kelly was born. He came to a stop in front of her, pulling her as close as possible. She rested her head against his chest, relishing the last few moments of being close before he left. Resting one hand on the baby bump, he looked at Shannon, trying to hide his own emotions. He pressed a soft kiss to her hair._

" _I'm sorry I won't be here when she arrives" Shannon laughed softly wiping at the tears that were now running freely._

" _Breaking your own rules Gibbs?" He laughed with her before kissing her again._

 _Jethro rested his forehead against hers, her bright blue eyes met his. She tried to convey how much she loved him, that she wanted him to come back in one piece. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, the quiet sobs preventing her from saying anything._

 _Jethro hugged her against him, trying to comfort her. He knew the thoughts that were running through her mind, he'd spent the most of last night thinking about what would happen if he didn't come back. Shannon drew a ragged breath, trying to calm down. Resting one hand on his cheek she looked him in the eye again._

" _We've said it all before." Jethro nodded, leaning into her touch._

" _I will be safe. I will come back." Jethro spoke softly, trying to draw out their time together as long as possible._

" _I love you." They declared in unison, both smiling slightly. Shannon pressed her lips to his, savouring the taste of coffee that seemed to cling to him all the time. They broke apart, holding each other a little while longer._

 _Jethro rested both his hands on Shannon's expanding abdomen. He met her eyes, "Tell her that Daddy loves her when she gets here."_

 _Jethro pulled out of the driveway, staring at his wife in the rear-view mirror. He could see the tears staining her cheeks, every fibre in him wanted to comfort her, tell her that everything was going to work out just like they had planned. He swallowed heavily as she disappeared out of his line of sight, he hoped that he would be returning home to her._

* * *

The cold water hitting his body brought him back to the present. He felt slightly nauseas. He did return home, but not to her. She had been the one to leave him. His grit his teeth as another wave of nausea hit him. Seeing her face, remembering her lips pressed to his, it was all becoming too much for him to bear.

Shutting of the water, he stood in silence for a while. His heart pounded in his ears, his head spinning slightly. He fumbled with the shower door, trying to force it open, he grabbed a towel quickly. He slipped on the tile floor, but made it to the head in time.

He heaved, but there was nothing in his stomach.

Jethro sat down on the floor, his head resting in his hands. He desperately wanted a stiff drink- wanted to drown the heartache in bourbon. The cool metal from his wedding band pressed into his skin.

He pulled the perfect circle off his finger, holing it in his palm. He clutched it tightly in his hand. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks. He wanted all this to be a bad dream, a side effect from heavy pain medication. He felt lost without her- knew he was lost without her.

He could hear her scolding him for spending too much time in the basement. Could see her disapproving look as he drank straight from the milk carton. Her voice echoed in his head as she told him she loved him. The look of excitement as he stepped off the cargo plane, home from deployment.

He'd forever be haunted by the guilt, that maybe, he could have done something to save her.

* * *

Special Agent Michael Franks leaned back in his chair, cigarette between his lips and his feet propped up on his desk. The hectic buzz of the small field office filtered through the slightly cracked door. He listened intently as the two women who sat close to his door exchange the latest gossip. He rolled his eyes as they gushed about some guy.

Women. He'd never understand them.

He looked around his desk hoping to find something to keep him busy. He was itching to get back to Washington, where the real action was. He briefly wondered if his latest team members knew what they were suppose to do. Pulling the thick file towards him, he flipped it open, revealing a young woman with soft blue eyes.

Mike sighed and closed the file again. He'd seen countless cases like these, a marine on deployment coming home to an empty house, but this case was different. There was no jealous lover or greedy friend, it was a woman who tried to do the right thing. When he was first asked to handle the case he approached it like he usually did, no personal involvement. But the look in the young Gunny's eyes when he was told the truth made him rethink his decision, would it really make a difference if it was someone who wasn't an agent who pulled the trigger?

The two women outside seemed to have quieted down, much to Mike's disappointment, but he could still hear the occasional whisper. He strained to hear what they were saying, no doubt it was something he would have enjoyed hearing.

The slightly cracked door opened fully revealing the young Gunny. Mike quickly pulled the cigarette from his lips and killed it. He dropped his feet off the table and stood quickly.

"Come on in Gunny." He watched the Gunny limp into the small office, the small baby cradled in his arms, fast asleep.

"It's Gibbs." Jethro grumbled, loud enough for the older agent to hear but also not to wake Kelly.

Mike moved back behind his desk, sitting in the squeaky chair. He pulled the file from earlier towards him, flipping it open once again. He cleared his throat, causing him to cough.

"Why am I here?" Jethro broke the stiff silence.

"We need to finalise the paperwork, and we need to know where we should send your wife's remains." Mike looked up from the file.

Jethro looked down at Kelly, he stroked her cheek softly. Things had hit him hard last night and this morning when he realised he'd have to say goodbye to his wife. Kelly leaned into his touch more, seeking more attention.

"Washington." His voice was gruff from holding back his emotions. He glanced at the older agent.

Mike nodded, scribbling on the bottom of the piece of paper in the file. He closed it and pulled another file towards him, he thumbed the edge, contemplating his next decision.

"What happens now Agent Franks. Does my wife die for nothing or is NCIS going to hunt down the bastard who did this?"

Mike placed his hand on the file he was looking at. He slid it across the table before he stood, the young Gunny had made his decision easier than he thought. He stopped in front of him, leaning back on the desk. He looked at the young man then at the baby girl in his arms.

"NCIS can't do anything. The last we heard Pedro Hernandez was just outside Mexico City in Cuautla." Mike looked at Jethro pointedly, hoping he'd get the message. Mike indicated towards the file with his eyes, "I'm going to the head."

Jethro waited until the Mike was gone before pulling the file towards him. He opened the file slowly. He stared into the inky black eyes of his wife's murderer. He studied each aspect of the man's face, storing it for later use. He scanned through the information in the file quickly.

He heard the grumbling voice of the older agent as he came closer. He shut the file and pushed it away. Jethro stood and adjusted Kelly so she rested against his shoulder. He held her close finding comfort in her heavy breathing, pressing a kiss to her hair he closed his eyes. There was only one thing left for him to do before he could think about moving on.

A life for a life.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Hope you've found it enjoyable. The first three chapters will be like a sort of 'pre-series'. I apologize for some characters coming across as OOC, but stick around and you'll see why. Small spoiler alert, well meet a certain red head in future chapters. If reviews are good I will continue._

 _To those who've reviewed my previous stories, thank you so much._

 _Please review. Feedback is much appreciated._


	2. Saying Goodbye

_Chapter 2: Saying Goodbye_

 _ **Disclaimer:** I own nothing, everything you recognise belongs to CBS and the producers of NCIS._

 _ **A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and checked the story as favourite. The sniper scene makes an appearance, I changed a few things so it makes sense, also in this story Shannon's father passed away instead of him and Joann getting divorced. I'm sorry if it might bother you. Grammar errors are mine._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

Jethro groaned as he rolled towards the warm body next to him. He pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair, inhaling the smell of her shampoo. He nuzzled the back of her neck, placing soft kisses on the exposed skin. The redhead groaned and swatted at him half heartedly. He chuckled softly and placed a kiss in her hair. He entwined his fingers with hers and held onto her tightly.

"Gibbs… you're squishing me." Shannon moaned softly at the tight hold her husband had on her. She could feel him tense momentarily before easing his grip. She turned in his arms and placed a small hand on his chest, drawing invisible patterns on his shirt. "What's wrong?"

Jethro opened his eyes slowly, the usually crystal blue eyes slightly grey from a deep slumber. He gave her a lazy smile before shaking his head, "It's nothin' Shan."

She lifted one eyebrow at him, a clear indication that she didn't believe him at all. She touched his cheek softly, stroking his morning stubble. "Don't lie to me Jethro Gibbs. You tossed and turned the whole night, and I know it was a nightmare, so spill it."

Jethro smiled before clearing his throat, "Dreamed you were taken from me and Kel, leaving us all alone." His voice was strained as he spoke.

Shannon frowned, leaning in to kiss him softly, he pulled her flush against him. Pulling away, she took his face in both hands and kissed the tip of his nose. "I'll never leave you Gibbs," she rested one hand over his heart, "I'm always here."

Jethro nodded and leaned down to kiss her again, savouring the feel of her lips against his. He rolled on top of her, kissing her slowly. She clutched his shoulders, and he could feel the faint sting from the burns on his skin.

Shannon's small hand slipped inside his shirt, caressing the scar on his hip tenderly.

They were interrupted by a loud cry coming from down the hall. Jethro pulled away resting his forehead against hers, she smiled at him while stroking his cheek, she gently pushed him off of her.

"I'll get her." Shannon pressed one last kiss to his lips before disappearing out the door.

Jethro listened to the fading footsteps. He scrubbed one hand over his face yawning loudly, he was in desperate need of a good cup of coffee. Rolling onto his back, he waited for his wife to come back with their daughter. The crying seemed to continue for several minutes, he lifted his head off the pillows making sure he'd seen Shannon head in the right direction.

Getting out of bed he padded down the hall to the nursery. The soft yellow walls created a calm effect in the room, calming even his racing heart. He made his way toward the bassinet that stood near the window, allowing the sun to heat the tiny bed. He peaked over the side, expecting to see Kelly, only to find it was empty. He scratched the back of his neck and trudged towards the stairs, panic slowly starting to set in his body, the crying seemed to be closer than it actually was.

"Shannon!" He called above the crying, hoping to find where his wife and daughter was.

Jethro rounded the corner of the living room, Kelly's cries were becoming louder and he was starting to feel more terrified by the fact that he couldn't find her. He spotted her car seat on the kitchen table, facing the window that overlooked the back yard. He hurried towards it, hoping that he'd be able to comfort her until he found Shannon. He shuffled around the table, pulling the blanket off that was covering it.

His heart stopped.

His baby girl wasn't there either. His heart pounded in his ears, he couldn't have missed Shannon coming down the stairs or passing through the living room. He turned on his heel and rushed towards the stairs.

"Shannon! Where are you, where's Kelly?"

The crying had reached a deafening volume.

Jethro shot up in bed, his breathing heavy, his hands shaking with panic. His eyes darted around the room, trying to remember where he was. He swallowed heavily. The cries were still surrounding him, drawing him out of his stupor. Throwing back the covers he rushed towards the bassinet at the foot of the bed.

A sense of relief washed over him when he saw Kelly inside, her face red from crying. Picking her up quickly, he cradled her close to him offering her comfort for the time being. "It's okay Kelly, Daddy's here." She turned her face towards him trying to find something to suckle on. Jethro stood motionless for a while, trying to get his brain to function. He was thrown off by seeing Shannon in his dreams, feeling her so close to him, so real. Kelly's whimpering broke through his muddled thoughts, looking down he saw her sucking on his shirt.

The house was slightly chilly in the early April morning, making it just that more unpleasant to be up early in the morning. Jethro hurried down the stairs towards the kitchen, Kelly still firmly clutched in his arms. He darted around the kitchen trying to locate a clean bottle to make her formula in. The baby became increasingly restless as he struggled to measure the correct amount of formula. He managed to calm her down, rocking her gently from side to side.

He sank down on the couch, relaxing briefly. He offered the bottle to Kelly, she stared up at him as she latched onto the bottle, drinking thirstily – her one hand clutched his pinky, the other one twisted in his t-shirt. Jethro stroked her soft curls, smiling down at her, he wondered if she knew how much comfort she offered him over the last few days since coming back to DC, to the house he had once shared with her mother. His heart thudded painfully as Kelly wrinkled her nose, looking just like Shannon, he took a shuddering breath fighting the onslaught of emotions.

Kelly pushed her bottle away, full for time being, she turned towards her father again and snuggled into his chest. Jethro tapped her back softly, making sure any wind that could bother her came out.

Jethro looked around the dimly lit living room. It was exactly the way they left it before moving down to Camp Pendleton. It was more lived in and more personally decorated than their base house. Looking down at Kelly, Jethro wondered if coming back to Washington was such a good idea, what if Shannon wanted to be buried back in Stillwater, it wasn't something they ever really discussed. He hoped to find the answer in his daughter's kind grey eyes.

Lifting her higher he pressed a soft kiss to her temple, causing her to gurgle softly. He offered her his finger so she could wrap her hand around it. She grabbed his finger immediately, pulling it towards her mouth. She wrinkled her nose slightly as she tasted his finger, resulting in her father laughing softly. She held onto his finger even more, snuggling into him and letting out a soft yawn.

Jethro sighed and closed his eyes for awhile. He listened to Kelly cooing to herself softly, his panic was still gnawing away at the back of his mind, reminding him that she could have been taken away from him as well. He'd given no thought as to what could have caused his nightmare, all he thought about was the paralysing fear of waking up to discover his daughter was gone as well. The small voice in his head reminded him that he'd loved her before she was born. He'd loved his wife unconditionally, but the little girl had stolen his heart the first time he saw her grainy sonar picture.

* * *

There was a light knock on the front door, breaking the silence that had seemed to surround the house. Jethro grit his teeth in annoyance, he wasn't up to visitors a day before his wife's funeral. He made sure Kelly was still fast asleep in her car seat before trudging towards the front door.

He stood in front of the door for a while, grateful for the curtain that Shannon had insisted on hanging in front of the oval window. Yanking the door open, Jethro came face to face with his mother-in-law. They stared at each other for a while, neither knowing what to say.

Joann Fielding squared her shoulders, looking the man in front of her up and down. Taking in his appearance she wondered how many nights sleep he had had since finding out. He was far from clean shaven, his cropped hair clearly hadn't been combed in a while, and his blue eyes were dull and accentuated by the dark circles around them. Her anger dissipated somewhat. Placing a hand on his cheek she stroked his beard softly.

"You look like hell Jethro."

Jethro only looked at her, a lot of things raced through his mind. Had she seen Kelly when she was born? Was she still blaming him for taking her daughter away from her? Maybe he should have thought about all these things when he had called her to tell her when the funeral would be. He licked his lips and stepped aside allowing her inside, he took her luggage from her and placed it at the foot of the stairs.

Joann walked into the living room, her eyes already scanning the area for signs of her granddaughter. If Jethro couldn't look after himself she was more than sure he couldn't look after an infant. She spotted the car seat with the small baby inside and walked towards it. She saw Kelly fast asleep, giving the baby a once over she was temporarily pleased to find that the little girl was in fact well looked after.

Jethro pushed past Joann and took his spot on the couch, resuming his visual over his daughter. He met the older woman's glare and gave her one of his own. He chose to stay quiet, she'd start ranting sooner or later. She sat down next to him, resting her hand on his knee and squeezed. She turned towards him, her eyes shining with tears.

"She's grown so much in a month." Jethro only blinked, he couldn't answer.

Joann removed the soft blanket, revealing the sleeping baby some more. She stroked the bottom of her foot, making Kelly groan in annoyance.

"She was smaller?" Jethro's voice was raspy, he cleared his throat. He leaned forward and adjusted the knitted cap on the girl's head, making sure she was still warm.

Joann squeezed his knee gently, nodding in confirmation. She felt a strange sense of sadness and sympathy towards him for missing Kelly's birth, but it was still greatly over shadowed by the anger she felt towards him. She had always liked Jethro from the moment Shannon had invited him for dinner one night, comforted that Mac would of liked him, but it all faded when he had left with her daughter.

Jethro rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the irritation his shirt was causing on the burns on his shoulders. He ran a hand through his hair, he couldn't grasp the fact that Kelly had been smaller at birth. She was already tiny at just one month old, tinier than any baby he'd ever seen. He covered her with the blanket once again.

He propped an arm on his knee, resting his chin in his palm. He cast a sideways glance at the woman next to him before looking around the room. The atmosphere between them couldn't be more tense. The last time they'd seen each other she'd blamed him for things that were out of his control. He could feel her eyes burning holes in the back of his head as she glared at him.

"What?"

"Three years since the last time I saw you and you can't even apologise for taking my daughter from me." Jethro looked at her indignantly.

"She was my wife. I wasn't going to leave her in Stillwater." he growled through clenched teeth.

"You forced her to go with you, she didn't want to leave."

"Bullshit! I'd never force her to do anything." Joann's eyes widened in shock, she hadn't expected him to be aggressive.

Squeezing his eyes shut to fight off the pounding headache, he scratched his beard in irritation, trying to calm down. He looked down at himself. He'd been wearing the same sweats for the last three days, his t-shirt probably longer. His beard was at least a week old. He rested his head in his hands, his lack of sleep was making him more irritable than usual.

Joann touched his shoulder, but he shrugged her off, she let out a frustrated huff and placed her hand on his shoulder again, making him face her. His eyes were guarded, and trying to avoid her gaze.

"Why don't you go clean up."

Instead of answering he just stood, checking to make sure Kelly was warm enough. He trudged to the stairs, trying to will his tired body to climb the stairs. He made it halfway before Joann's voice stopped him, his back facing her.

"Then we can talk." He ignored her, continuing further up the stairs.

Joann Fielding took in her surroundings. It was the first time she saw the house her daughter had called home for the last few years. The last she had seen her daughter was in a hospital room, tired and weak from labour. She had hid her anger while visiting, but she had harboured hatred towards Jethro. He'd taken Shannon away from her, and now she was gone forever and she couldn't help but blame him.

Joann let out a shaky breath, wiping at the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She looked at the little girl sleeping peacefully in her car seat. She had expected to find the poor girl crying and screaming while her father was passed out drunk, trying to handle the guilt, but she had been wrong. The little girl in question seemed to be content, her father although sober, she could still see the guilt eating away at him in those baby blues. Losing someone was never easy, but losing a child was unbearable. A new set of tears made their way down Joann's cheeks. Wiping her eyes quickly she made her way into the kitchen, hoping to find something to keep her thoughts occupied.

Jethro stared at himself in the mirror, now clean shaven and his hair combed. The dark circles were still there, the usually blue eyes almost grey. He did look like hell, or worse. The familiar nausea was churning his stomach again. He stared at the chain around his neck, two metal tags hanging from it, his wedding band joining them. The gold seemed to glow slightly, maybe it was fate taunting him. He looked himself in the eye again, the angry red marks on his shoulders caused his thoughts to wander.

* * *

 _The warm desert air was starting to cool down, like it usually did at night. A few men grumbled under their breath, a few curses being muttered. A couple of lights in the city were being turned on as the sun started to set, casting eerie shadows of the towering buildings._

 _Jethro pulled two laminated pictures out of his trouser pocket, holding them up in the last few rays of sunlight. He ran his fingers over them. He smiled at the woman staring back at him, reminding him that there was someone waiting back home. He turned his attention to the other picture, a proud smile gracing his features._

" _It's one beautiful little girl you got there Gunny." Jethro's spotter spoke over his shoulder._

" _You got that right." The other man smiled at him before taking his place near the window as well._

" _I can't wait to get out of this hell hole. See my lady, at least until I get deployed again. What 'bout you Gunny, any plans after you get discharged?"_

" _Move back to DC, find a job." Jethro grumbled, putting the pictures back in his pocket._

" _Sure as hell ain't gonna miss you Gunny." The young man muttered. Jethro snorted and moved in position, observing the city through his rifle's scope._

 _The inky sky was illuminated by several street lights, making it easy to spot any activity down in the streets. Jethro could see several Marines moving into position. His spotter frequently relayed information to the others of where possible ambushes might occur._

 _The quick flash of a light reflecting caught Jethro's eye. Repositioning himself he could see another sniper in the building across from them, a quick assessment made it clear that they weren't fighting for the same team._

 _There was a distinct whistle that broke the heavy silence before all hell broke loose._

 _Gunfire broke out between the buildings, making it easy to spot where several of their enemies were hiding. The ambush was looking more and more like a trap, as if they knew. One successful sniper shot after another rang out through the window._

 _Silence once again descended._

 _Jethro eased away from his perch near the window, taking a few seconds to assess the damage. He took in the amount of bullet holes that surrounded the window. He swallowed and unconsciously touched the photos in his pocket. A loud crash broke through his thoughts._

" _Shit, their coming through the back door, we've got to get out of here Gunny." Jethro felt his muscles jump into action, carrying out the task of retreating with practised ease._

 _No amount of practice could help them to get away quick enough. There were several men shouting, their thunderous footstep coming up the stairs. Rushing through another door that led them to a second set of stairs, Jethro grabbed his spotter by the arm and dragged him down the stairs pushing him towards the front door._

 _He had his pistol trained on the stairs while ushering the somewhat stunned young boy out of the house. The rain of bullets stopped briefly, giving them an opportunity to run, but it was too late. There was a loud explosion, deafening anyone close by._

 _Silence._

 _Jethro pushed himself off the young man, his ears ringing and an intense pain slicing through his shoulders. His vision swam, he turned back towards the house, trying to determine what happened. The door they had crashed through was gone. The heavy smell of gasoline hanging in the air._

 _Jethro closed his eyes briefly, thanking whoever was watching over him that they had gotten away just in time. He was spared another day, and blessed that he'd get to see his family. He touched his pocket, feeling the pictures he always kept close. Opening his eyes his vision was more blurry than before, he could barely make out the man's face in front of him before he drifted into unconsciousness._

* * *

Was it fate that he had cheated death once again, or was he supposed to die that day, maybe then his wife would still be alive?

There was a knock on the door.

Jethro pulled his shirt over his head, opening the door quickly. He stared down at Joann who seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. He side stepped her and walked towards his bedroom. His bed was still unmade, he sank down on the mattress, resting his head in his hands. The throbbing of the oncoming headache was making itself known. He looked around the bedroom, noting how bare it appeared without Shannon's things laying around. He looked up when a dark shadow fell across the thick carpet.

"I made coffee and some breakfast. It looks like you could use some." Joann spoke sternly, leaving no room for an argument. She gave him a guarded look before turning and leaving him alone.

Jethro walked through the living room, glancing at his watch again, he stopped next to an empty car seat. Panic gripped his throat and he had to take a moment to stop himself from bursting out. He caught a glimpse of Joann holding Kelly and glared at the woman pacing around his kitchen. She stopped giving him one of her own glares.

Jethro balled his fists. He had to get control of his emotions, his mind was running in circles, the panic each time more intense than before. He took a deep breath, assuring himself that no one would take Kelly from him.

Jethro stared at the dark brew that filled the white mug, hoping to find something to say in the black liquid. He cleared his throat once again. He didn't mind the silence, but he was starting to feel uncomfortable with the way Joann kept looking at him, he tried avoiding her gaze as much as possible. He sipped the bitter coffee, taking a moment to appreciate the taste, it had been awhile since he had a good cup of coffee. Joann sighed drawing his attention to her.

"What?" A brief look of outrage flashed across her face at his abrasive tone.

"Don't you speak to me like that. Once was enough." Jethro grit his teeth.

"This is my house, I'll do what I want." Jethro mumbled into his coffee cup as he took another sip. He could see Joann bristle with anger. It was more than just grief she wanted to blame on him.

"I'm aware of that Jethro. Maybe if you had stayed in Stillwater none of this would have happened." Jethro's head snapped up at her words, his blue eyes cold.

"I had to leave. I never said Shannon couldn't visit, she made her own choices." Jethro spoke through gritted teeth, looking the older woman directly in the eye. "What happened to Shannon has got nothing to do with me being deployed."

"Maybe if you hadn't been deployed you could have saved her, stopped her from testifying." Joann's words dripped with anger and accusation.

Jethro only glared at her. He'd asked himself that question more than he had cared to admit. What if he hadn't been deployed, would he have been the one who saw the shooting? He saw Kelly stir in her sleep and another bothersome question seemed to consume his thoughts. What if he hadn't survived the explosion and both he and Shannon were gone?

Kelly started crying softly breaking his tumultuous thoughts. He stood and took her from her grandmother, she reluctantly let go of her, her expression slightly pained. Kelly looked up at her father, her cries quieting down. Her large grey eyes seemed to calm him down some. He took his seat once again, cradling the baby close to his chest. Jethro pressed a gentle kiss to her soft hair, causing her to gurgle softly.

Joann appeared next to him taking his empty plate and mug. She placed the dishes in the sink and stood next to him again, resting a hand on his shoulder. She could feel him tense and then relax somewhat when she didn't say anything. She felt bad for her earlier comment, the young man had put his life on the line to protect not only his family but his country as well, only to comeback and find his wife was dead.

Joann reached down and touched the little girl's cheek, stroking the soft skin. The silence that usually surrounded the house settled once again.

Dinner that night had been a stiff affair, more accusations had been flung at each other through the course of the day. Each one wanting to blame the other for something that was out of their control. Jethro looked at his daughter closely as she lay next to him on his large bed, raising one eyebrow as she stared up at him. He'd grabbed her as soon as possible, eager to get away from Joann and escape to the solitude of his bedroom.

Kelly gurgled as he massaged her stomach softly, trying to get her to fall asleep. She grabbed one of his fingers, like she usually did when he tried to get her to fall back asleep between feeding's. The past few nights he'd been more awake than asleep, trying to get in contact with one of his contacts down in Mexico and to find a way to go to Cuautla himself.

Jethro listened as Kelly's breathing evened out. He sat up and gently lifted her into his arms, holding her close for a little while. He traced his fingers across her face tenderly, committing each line to memory, Kelly groaned softly. Laying her down gently in her bassinet he covered her with the soft fleece blanket. He watched her a little while longer.

His various arguments with Joann raced through his mind. She had accused him of not understanding what she as a parent was going through, and although he had vehemently denied it, it did stay with him. Losing a loved one and losing a child were on completely different sides of the spectrum. Jethro rubbed a hand across his face roughly, he'd never admit it but Joann had been right. With time he'd get past losing Shannon, but the thought of losing his daughter was unbearable. It scared him that he might not always be able to protect her.

* * *

Jethro pulled at the tie that seemed to tighten more and more around his neck. He had woken up in a foul mood and had no intention of changing it. Kelly had kept him up all night, a welcoming distraction from all the nightmares, but a pain in the ass when Joann tried to tell him what to do. Kelly clumsily tugged at his tie tightening it even more around his throat. He took it out of her small fist and loosened the ever tightening noose.

Joann scowled next to him, clearly unimpressed with his mood. He rolled his eyes and stared out the darkly tinted window. The whole world was cut off from them. The car rolled to a stop, the large church looming over them. Jethro wrapped Kelly in her blanket tightly, an attempt to keep the cold wind at bay. In the distance he could see several people gathered together. The door opened and he waited for Joann to step out, tucking Kelly even closer to him he braved the outside world.

Joann walked next to him as they made their way towards the large group of people, each giving them a look of sympathy. Jethro squeezed Joann's hand softly, hoping she'd accept his brand of comfort. She looked at him, squeezing his hand in return, she met his eyes and the broken look in them was too much, she dropped his hand rushing towards the entrance to the church. Jethro stopped short of the large group of people, hoping they won't notice him, he wasn't in the best of moods to deal with them.

Across from him in the group of people he could see his father talking with someone. Jethro closed his eyes, he should have known Joann would have told Jackson when the funeral was. He didn't want to face his father, not now at least. The older man spotted him and Jethro grit his teeth painfully, holding Kelly to him even more.

Jackson Gibbs tugged at the woman's hand insistently, forcing her to go with him. He excused himself from the small group of people he was currently talking to and made his way through the crowd. The woman following behind him, although reluctantly. He could see his son tense more the closer he got, but his son's reluctance to talk to him was dampened when he noticed his granddaughter snuggled closely to her father. Jackson stopped in front of his son, his blue eyes meeting Jethro's.

"Leroy, it's good to see you despite, the circumstances." He was met with silence. Ignoring his son's behaviour he pulled the woman – who had accompanied him – so she stood next to him, he smiled at her and turned back to his son. "Eileen, this is Leroy."

Jethro looked at the woman's offered hand not bothering to return the gesture. Turning back to his father he glared at him in anger, but the older man seemed oblivious.

Jackson stepped closer and inspected the little bundle his son was holding. "She's more beautiful than I imagined." Jackson spoke softly as he looked at the little girl. "Got her daddy's hair colour."

Jethro pulled the blanket tighter around Kelly and adjusted her in his arms. She groaned at being bothered before seeking more heat. He nodded at the woman he now knew as Eileen, he met his father's eyes briefly before pushing past him making his way for the church.

The service had gone by in a blur, the only thing Jethro could focus on was the casket. He looked around the group of people that were gathered around the open grave, he'd long since stopped listening to what the priest was saying. Everyone appeared to be mourning, even the woman his father had introduced him to. He felt the anger in him rise again, he wondered how his father could move on after his mother had passed away.

Joann clasped his free hand tightly as the casket sank into the earth, he struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. He squeezed Joann's hand and she leaned against him, her sobs muffled in his shoulder. Jethro held Kelly just a little closer, she was his only comfort. He knew this was the closest he'd come to seeing his wife for the last time.

Jethro watched as several people broke away from the group, he'd made it clear that he didn't want to see any of them any time soon. Something that had caused a quiet tiff between him and his mother-in-law on their way in the car. Jackson looked at him, his eyes brimming with tears, he scowled at him and the older man turned his back to him walking away. Joann sniffed next to him touching his arm gently.

"I'll wait by the car." Jethro watched as she walked away before turning his attention back to the open grave.

His breathing was a little shaky, from either anger or sorrow, he wasn't really sure. He stared into the open grave, the roses contrasting with the dark wood as they lay on top of the casket. He felt conflicted to say goodbye to someone he loved, although he had lost fellow marines and friends, this wasn't the same. He cleared his throat looking up at the bright blue sky. He dropped the lone red rose onto the casket.

"I'm sorry Shannon."

Joann watched as Jethro made his way back to the car, his shoulders slumped slightly. She wiped at her eyes again. Jethro adjusted Kelly and continued walking, Joann looked from Jethro to the little girl, wondering if he was capable of raising a child. He had hardly showed any emotion during the short while she had been staying with him, it was only a matter of time before he started drowning himself in alcohol. She'd take Kelly if it came down to it, at least the little girl would then have a stable future.

The late afternoon sun filtered through the window heating the small dining room, Jethro sat in front of the window soaking up the heat. Kelly suckled on her bottle content with the warmth and calm atmosphere that surrounded her. The house was quiet, the only noise coming from outside. Jethro heard the shuffle of feet above him, alerting him of their guest. He sighed, mentally chastising himself for inviting the woman to stay.

Kelly pushed her bottle away and stared up at her father, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly, as if wanting to smile at her father. He kissed her forehead gently and cooed at her softly, his gruff voice causing her to gurgle back at him. He stroked her soft hair, the dark strands showing the hint of red in the sun light. The little girl grabbed one of her father's fingers, gripping it in her small fist.

The shrill ring of a phone broke the tranquil atmosphere. Jethro stood quickly, rushing towards the phone.

"Yeah Gibbs." There was a brief moment of static before getting an answer.

"Gunny, it's Luke." Jethro looked around the corner making sure he was alone.

"You get anything?"

"Yeah. Pedro Hernandez seems to be a regular down in Cuautla, you can find him at the local cantina. Any particular reason you lookin' for him?"

"Heard he's got some good lumber for building a boat."

"You and those boats."

Jethro gave a weak chuckle, "Yeah, is what Shan always said." The words were only just audible.

"I'm sorry for your loss Gunny." Jethro grunted his thanks and ended the phone call.

Jethro scrubbed a hand over his face. He leaned against the kitchen counter looking at nothing in particular. He turned towards the quiet footsteps that thumped across the wooden floors. Joann walked into the kitchen smiling at him tightly, she looked at Kelly before doing what she had come down for. Jethro shifted against the counter, walking up to her, he placed his hand on her shoulder.

Jethro passed Kelly to Joann, taking the glass from her. She was slightly surprised by his actions since he didn't allow anyone to come near the little girl. He filled her glass with cold water and placed it in front of her on the dining room table. He took a seat across from her, staring out the window for a while, he clenched his jaw a few times trying to find the right words to say. He cleared his throat and turned back towards Joann.

"Jethro spit it out before it chokes you." Jethro gave her a rare smile.

"Would you mind looking after Kelly for a few days? I still have a few things to do in California and I don't want to have her in a car that long."

Joann looked down at Kelly and smiled softly, "I don't mind one bit."

"Thank you." He leaned forward and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She returned the gesture, but he could see she was trying to find the real reason for him leaving for a few days.

The muted sounds of a one sided conversation travelled down the hall, spilling through the cracked door. Jethro tried to tune out the muffled voice, focusing on the task at hand. His bed was littered with various articles of clothing, amongst the small piles of clothes Kelly stared up at her father curiously.

Grabbing a few t-shirts and jeans he threw them into his duffel bag, zipping- and placing it near the door. He stared at the clothes that were strewn around Kelly, her hands fisted in one of his t-shirt, stretching the material slightly. He pried the shirt from her tight grip.

He started refolding the clothes, keeping a close eye on his daughter. She looked at him curiously, her eyes never leaving him. Jethro smiled at her and continued with his tedious task. The little girl's grey eyes met his and he felt as if she could see exactly what he was planning on doing. It brought a whole new light to his dark plan.

Was killing the man who killed his wife justifiable?

Sighing, he returned to folding his clothes and a few of Kelly's as well. The little girl yawned loudly, kicking her legs slightly. Jethro grabbed the warm bottle on the dresser offering it to her, she twisted away trying to avoid the bottle, with a little coaxing she finally started drinking.

Jethro paced around the room trying to get Kelly to fall asleep. Her eyes started drooping, but she still fought to close her eyes. Humming softly, he could feel her starting to lose her fight, her little body started relaxing and her breathing evened out. He pressed a kiss to her hair, holding her close. He felt bad for leaving her for the next few days, she hadn't been out of his sight since the moment he first held her, but he had to do this for his own sanity.

Jethro laid a sleepy Kelly down in her bassinet. She moaned, unimpressed that she wasn't being cuddled any more. He pulled the chain from his neck, holding it in his hand. The tags and gold band glinting in the light overhead. He placed the chain under her small pillow. A silent promise that he'd come back.

* * *

Long forgotten country music filled the pick-up, Jethro listened to the familiar tunes of some old country song _._ He hummed with the tune, trying to remember the first time he'd heard the song, doing anything to distract himself. He checked his watch trying to calculate whether Kelly was up or about to wake up screaming at the top of her lungs. He had no real concept of time, he was only focussing on what he was planning on doing.

Jethro swerved the pick-up to the left suddenly, missing a small animal. He cast a quick protective glance at the sealed bottle of _J_ _im Beam_ on the passenger seat, satisfied when the amber liquid sloshed inside the glass instead of spilling onto the floor. His last intention was to drink himself to oblivion, but coffee wasn't cutting it any more, it only intensified the pain instead of numbing it. He could hear Joann bitching, but her opinion was the last thing on his mind.

He had passed through Mexico City during first light and was now almost halfway to Cuautla. Jethro's stomach clenched slightly in anticipation. He'd long since learned to trust his instincts, something he picked up in the Core, a gut feeling as he had come to call it.

He had killed men before- men he hadn't known or seen in his entire life- all he knew was that they had done something wrong and he was the punisher. Now things were different, he knew the face, knew what said face had done. He couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that sat in the pit of his stomach, driving him to continue, that there'd be justice for the one he loved dearly. Something else seemed to bother him as well, what if his target had a family back home, an infant daughter who depended on him.

Jethro turned down the radio, silencing the old country tape. The last thing he needed was his conscience to deter him from his goal. A small board flicked past him and he could barely make out what it said. _Cuautla 15 miles_. A sense of determination rushed through his body, making him more eager to visit the city.

There was a small cantina on the outskirts of Cuautla, well hidden from the flood of tourists that seemed to dominate the city. A small dirt track leading to it, thankful for the directions Luke had given him over the phone, Jethro located the small shack of a building easily. The sun was high in the blue sky, an indication that it was high noon. Jethro wiped the sweat from his brow and adjusted his dark sunglasses, making his way towards the cantina.

A thick smoke cloud hung in the air of the small building, making it almost impossible to see. Jethro could feel his eyes burn from the smoke, causing him to close them for a moment. No one seemed to pay attention to him and he was silently thankful. Making his way towards the furthest corner, he slid into one of the empty booths. The table was still sticky from something that was spilled on it earlier, he pulled his face in disgust and opted for folding his arms across his chest.

Moments later a woman stood next to him, her clothing suggesting that she was there purely for male customers. Jethro order brusquely, while she wiped the sticky table off with an old rag. She nodded and walked away.

Staring out the window Jethro shifted in the leather seat again, the heat was slowly starting to get to him. He could feel small droplets of sweat roll down his back, causing his t-shirt to cling to him even more. The heat was different than what he had experienced on his deployments. It was sticky, the kind of sticky you only found in humid areas. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, stopping the salty droplets from dripping into his eyes.

The waitress came back giving him the Corona he ordered, before attending to the men who seemed to find pleasure in harassing her. Jethro scanned their faces quickly, trying to see if he could see _him._ None of them resembled who he was looking for and so he turned his attention back to the window staring out it once again.

The sun was slowly starting to set, casting an orange glow across the landscape. There was a certain buzz about the small cantina. Each group of men and occasionally women seemed louder than the first. A radio blasted the little room with loud music.

Jethro rolled his head from side to side, releasing some of the tension in his neck. He sighed softly, the last five hours had given him time to think clearly about what he wanted to do. He had lost his resolve a few times- contemplating driving back home to be with his daughter- but then he'd realise she would grow up with out a mother and he'd be motivated once again. A fresh gust of wind blew through the small cantina, causing him to look up.

His hair was slicked back, his moustache as black as his hair. He made his way to the long bar and flopped down in a chair. Jethro balled his fists, his nails digging into the palms of his hands. He felt like killing him with his bare hands in front of everyone, watching as the life drained out of his dark eyes.

Jethro stood abruptly, marching towards the bar. He tried to act as normal as possible, paying his tab, he watched _him_ out the corner of his eye. The waitress wanted to give him his change but he was already out the door, she shrugged her shoulders and returned to serving the customers.

The last bit of sunlight disappeared behind the horizon, leaving the world in almost complete darkness. Jethro drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, trying to keep busy. The door to the cantina flew open and a man stumbled out. Jethro didn't have to wonder who it was, he could recognise him anywhere. He waited patiently for him to get in his pick-up and waited a few minutes before following him.

They travelled down the road, turning onto yet another dirt road, the pick-up in front swerved dangerously. In the distance a few lights burned against a hill, a sign of some form of civilisation. Jethro switched off his headlights and followed the pick-up until it came to a rather quick stop.

The lights from earlier were in fact lights from a small village like residence. Pedro Hernandez stumbled out of his pick-up and headed up the few steps at the front door, before crashing through it in the same fashion than from the cantina. A few minutes passed by, until Jethro was satisfied that _he_ won't leave, he started his old Ford and headed back to the cantina.

* * *

The grass rustled in the dead of night. Nature seemed to be more quiet than usual tonight, as if it knew what was coming. Jethro stopped for a while, listening for something that might have disturbed his surroundings. He clutched the case in his hand more forcefully before soldiering on. He stopped again when the grass rustled yet again. His muscles tensed, ready to fight whatever dared attack him.

A large rabbit hopped past him, stopping to look at him for a while. Jethro rolled his eyes before shooing the animal away with his boot. He rolled his shoulder before setting off again. He hadn't noticed any animal life a couple of days prior when he had staked out his sniper's nest. He had been more concerned about staying low in order not to be detected by someone.

Jethro stopped next to a large brush at the top of the hill. His nest was still intact.

He set down the case he was gripping, clicking open the clips. He ran his fingers over the rifle that stared back at him, caressing her. Taking it from the case he loaded it quickly before he placed her back in the silver case. Checking his watch he closed the lid and stared up at the black sky. His mind wondering back to a time where he'd stared up at the stars as well.

* * *

 _Their sweat slicked bodies were slowly starting to cool down in the cold night air. She shivered next to him, goosebumps braking out over her soft skin. Jethro tightened his arm around her, pressing her still hot body close to his._

 _"How are you not cold Gibbs?" Jethro looked down at Shannon, his blue eyes shining mischievously. He leaned down and kissed her languidly. He shrugged his shoulders, answering her question._

 _They lapsed into comfortable silence, the only sound coming from the radio in the pick-up. Shannon rubbed her cold toes against Jethro's calf, making him growl at her playfully. She giggled softly and pressed her cheek against his chest, and could feel his heart still hammering against his ribs. She sought out his hand and laced their fingers._

 _"Jethro, do you really have to go?" Shannon asked softly, hesitantly._

 _Jethro tensed slightly at her question. He shifted onto his side, looking down at her. He traced her lower lip gently before lifting her chin so she could look at him._

 _"Shannon, you know I can't back out now." He spoke as reassuringly as possible. They both knew this was coming sooner or later._

 _She gave a terse nod before pulling away from him. She turned onto her back looking up at the starry night sky. She wiped at her eyes quickly, trying to hide her tears. She could hear Jethro huff in defeat. The bed of the pick-up moved as he shifted towards her, wrapping an arm around her waist._

 _His warm naked skin pressed against hers, causing her to sigh. He wiped her tears, stroking her still flushed cheek. He leaned down, his lips pressing against the shell of her ear._

 _"I promise I will come back." Jethro whispered softly, drawing a shaky smile from her. Shannon pushed herself up on her elbows._

 _"Don't make promises you can't keep." They both knew she was right, there was no certainty that he would be coming back._

 _Jethro nodded and pulled her down on top of him, drawing a small squeal from her. His chest rumbled with laughter. They stared at each other for a while, enjoying the intimate moment between them._

 _Shannon kissed him forcefully, nipping at his bottom lip. He parted his lips and within no time he tasted her. Old country music muting their loud kisses occasionally._

 _The old and annoying music was something she had come to associate with the marine beneath her. Music that would now keep her company while he was deployed._

 _Jethro pulled away, his breathing somewhat laboured. He tangled his fingers in Shannon's crimson curls, keeping her close._

 _"I can't promise coming back, but when I do, I'll promise you this." Shannon's blue eyes met his as he laced his fingers with her left hand. "I'll give you a ring for that finger."_

 _"I hope you plan on proposing better than that." They both laughed softly. "All I want you to promise me Jethro... is that you'll come back to me."_

 _Jethro nodded before kissing her again._

 _Shannon snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest. He looked up at the inky sky and for the first time in a long while the stars seemed brighter than usual._

* * *

Jethro bolted upright, his eyes darting around. His shoulders were stiff, it had been a while since he had slept on the ground. He rubbed his neck easing some of the stiffness. The sun was just starting to rise over the few hills, heating everything in it's way.

Jethro pulled the silver case closer, opening it slowly. He looked at the rifle. He still had a good hour and a half before he had to make the shot.

Several things seemed to run through his mind, each more complex than the first. His gut told him it was the right thing to do, the only way he'd get justice for Shannon, but then his conscience would bother him again. Was he any better than the man who killed in the first place?

Pulling the two laminated pictures out of his breast pocket, he tried to make a final decision. Shannon stared back at him, her eyes shining as she held Kelly for the first time. It was the only picture he had of the two of them together. Anger flared through his veins once again, he'd never see his wife again and neither would his daughter. It seemed only fare to serve punishment the only way he knew how.

The early morning heat was steadily becoming unbearable, nature seemed to be affected as well. There was a steady breeze blowing, causing small dust clouds to form. In the distance there was a steady rumble coming closer. Jethro adjusted his scope, training it precisely where the dirt track emerged from behind the hill. The nose of a pick-up came into view.

Jethro held his breath, following it with the rifle, his still dead on. His heart thudded in his ears.

Glass shattered.

The distinct whistle from the rifle echoed in his ears.

Jethro screamed, his emotions crashing down on him.

* * *

The waves crashed loudly and washed out, the water level rising slowly. The sun was just starting to set. Jethro kicked the sand half heartedly, he was somewhere between drunk and almost passed out. He stumbled on the loose sand before toppling over, crashing down on his knees, the bottle of _Jim Beam_ still clutched firmly in his hand.

He pushed himself off the ground, stumbling again once he was upright. He bent forward resting one hand on his knee, his head hung low. He waited for his world to stop spinning before trying to walk again. He made his way up the beach towards his old Ford.

He leaned against it heavily, watching as the last of the twilight disappeared, leaving him in almost complete darkness.

He snorted at the irony of the situation. His world was dark, it had gone dark the moment he heard his wife was dead, until the moment he had met his daughter. Taking another swig of the bourbon; he closed his eyes and sunk down against the pick-up resting against the tyre. The burn of the alcohol had long since been numbed by the amber liquid itself. He tried to focus on the blurry stars above him.

Someone touched his shoulder gently.

Jethro jerked away, suddenly caught off guard. He tried to find the source of the hand, his vision more blurry than before. He blinked a few times, trying to discern the face in front of him. He rubbed his eyes violently, he glanced at the bottle of bourbon before looking back into those piercing eyes.

"Shannon..." He voice was hoarse from both the bourbon and disbelief. She smiled at him and touched his cheek gently.

He was well passed the phase where he needed a rational explanation for what he was seeing, he covered her hand with his much larger one. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the tears to stay where they were, the alcohol was wrecking havoc with his emotions and his sanity.

The lump in his throat had become too much. He swallowed heavily as tears streamed down his cheeks. He wasn't really one for crying, but he was well beyond the point of caring about that now. He doubted he'd remember this. Shannon wiped his cheeks gently.

"Jethro, why are you doing this to yourself?" Her voice was soft, the way he remembered it.

"You're not real, are you?" A sliver of hope coursed through him as she smiled, but she shook her head.

"No, don't avoid my question." He returned her smile sadly. He shrugged his shoulder in defeat, was she real or was he fabricating things to make himself feel better?

Taking another swig of bourbon, he tried to touch the gold band on his left ring finger. Panic rushed through him as he touched his own skin instead his wedding ring. Realising he had hung it around his neck along with his dog tags, he reached for the chain around his neck. He touched his neck to find the chain, but he once again came up empty.

He was slightly confused, he never went anywhere without his tags. He looked over at Shannon and was met with a knowing look. It finally dawned on him that he had left them with Kelly the night before he had left. Shannon rested her hand on his knee.

"She needs you now Jethro." He nodded. "Promise me you'll be there for her no matter what."

"No matter what." He croaked softly. Shannon smiled, she pulled him closer and kissed his lips soundly. The smell of strawberries invading his senses. He closed his eyes and relished the feeling of her so close to him.

 _I love you_.

Jethro blinked, there was no one with him, just him and a bottle of _Jim Beam_. His heart thudded painfully. Placing the bottle next to him he leaned back against the tyre, closing his eyes.

He had a promise to keep.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think._


	3. Moving On

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing you recognise, everything is owned by CBS and the producers of NCIS._

 _ **A/N:** I know up until this point the story has been uneventful, but thanks for sticking around. This is the last 'pre-series' chapter so stay tuned. Big thanks to everyone reading, I appreciate it._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

The ticking of the clock was the only sound in the quiet house. Joann Fielding enjoyed the silence for as long as she had it. Sighing, she sipped the warm tea that she had made earlier, her headache was slowly starting to turn into a migraine. She massaged her temples gently, all the while waiting for the inevitable wail that would signal Kelly being awake. It had seemed the little girl hadn't stopped crying since realising her father was gone, and if she didn't cry she fussed about everything.

At first it had angered her that he didn't call. He'd left without saying anything of where he'd be going or what it was he had to do, she only saw him slink out of the house and leave in that truck of his. Joann had half expected him to call her, drunk and guilt ridden, but he hadn't. Instead he had phoned her early on the second day saying he'd be back soon, and he had hung up before she could question him. In the few days she had been left alone with her granddaughter, she'd had a lot of time to think about their situation.

She wanted Jethro to pay for what had happened, wanted him to experience the pain she was forced to go through. She knew he was hurting to some degree but not as much as she was. He still had his child to ease some of his pain, to offer him some comfort. She wanted to take it from him, so he knew how much pain he had caused her.

She was going to take Kelly.

She had packed everything the moment Jethro had called early that morning and had said he'd be there at noon. Her suitcase stood near the door along with a small duffel bag filled with the few of Kelly's things she could find. She'd grabbed everything that had been important, she'd buy the rest later. She was willing to let Jethro say goodbye, but she was determined to leave no matter what.

A soft whimper crackled through the monitor, an indication that Kelly had woken up. Desperate to keep the crying at a minimal, Joann rushed to the nursery. By the time she had reached the room the continues wails had picked up where they had last left off. Sighing, she picked the little girl up and tried to calm her down.

Jethro pulled into his driveway, glaring at the dark sedan that now stood next to his truck. He was thankful he was home and more than eager to get rid of the old woman so he and his daughter could be left in peace. Grabbing the small duffel bag, he trudged up the small footpath that led to the front door.

The first thing he heard was his daughter's cries as he stopped at the front door. He was more than just concerned as he almost crashed through the door, only to come face-to-face with his mother-in-law. Dropping the duffel bag, he easily took the baby from her, ignoring her murderous look. So maybe he had lied when he said he'd be there at noon, he was only early by a couple of hours.

Jethro tucked Kelly close to his chest and ran soothing circles across her tummy, talking to her softly so she realised it was him. She seemed to calm down enough to stop screaming and only whimper into his shirt. He lifted her so her head was on his shoulder, bouncing her gently he finally turned to face the woman behind him. It was only then that he noticed the small duffel bag and suitcase near the door. His brow knitted together, he could have sworn she only had the suitcase when she had arrived.

"You leavin'?" Jethro asked half breathlessly as he bounced the little girl in his arms, his knee silently protesting at the movement.

"Yes..." Joann paused, quickly reconsidering her actions, "I'm taking Kelly with me."

Jethro stopped, his eyes darkening dangerously, "What?"

Joann balled her fists tightly, she had anticipated this kind of reaction. She stepped towards him, trying her best to intimidate him and wanting to take Kelly from him. He stared at her, blue eyes flashing in anger.

"You heard me. You're in no way fit to take care of yourself, let alone a baby." She motioned to take Kelly from him again, he simply turned sideways, pushing her away slightly. He cradled Kelly closer to him.

"You're not taking my daughter from me." He growled through clenched teeth, it was a threat wrapped in a statement, and he hoped she realised it. His temper was slowly starting to get the better of him. Ignoring the older woman's glare he made his way to the kitchen more concerned to calm his daughter down, he suspected their loud voices weren't helping to sooth Kelly. Joann trailed behind him.

He cooed at Kelly softly as he prepared her bottle, prying his shirt away from her mouth he offered her the warm bottle. He was hoping that if he ignored Joann long enough she'd eventually leave without fighting. He was too tired to actually understand what was really going on, and not wanting to admit it, a little emotionally exhausted. But he should have known the woman wouldn't leave without a fight.

"You were gone for almost a week, only calling twice," Joann's voice grew louder as she spoke, "who knows what you did in those few days. Judging by the way you look, you probably drank yourself unconscious." she spat at him disgustedly. She was referring to the stubble that was turning into a beard again and the rather scruffy way he appeared.

Jethro swallowed, reminding himself he had his daughter in his arms. If only she had known what he had done to the bastard that took away Shannon, maybe then she'd forgive him. It was better to seek forgiveness than apologise, his own rules rang in his ears, but he didn't feel the need to do either since she wanted to ruin the rest of his life. He didn't move from where he was leaning against the kitchen counter. Kelly gurgled in his arms, taking his finger in her hand once again as she continued drinking her bottle. He'd missed her more than he was ready to admit. Joann stepped up to him and took Kelly from his arms.

Jethro felt his heart thud in his chest, he stepped closer still clutching the little girl's hand in his, her bottle in his other hand.

"You can't take her from me." His voice trembled slightly.

"Yes Jethro I can." Joann pushed his hand away from his daughter's. "You took mine from me."

"Bloody hell Joann! I had orders, there was nothing I could do about it, so stop blaming me! Ever thought that maybe you drove her away?" Jethro grit his teeth, his chest heaving slightly.

Jethro felt his skin catch fire as a sharp slap landed on his cheek. "How dare you accuse me?" Tears were streaming down Joann's cheeks as she looked at him, "You could have saved her!"

"There was nothing I could do!" Jethro shouted at the older woman. Kelly started crying as the voices around her started shouting again. Joann tried, unsuccessfully, to calm her down.

Jethro slammed the baby bottle on the breakfast table. He gave Joann and angry look and took Kelly, holding her close, trying his best to calm the little girl down. He tapped her back in a soothing rhythm, whispering softly to her. She seemed to quiet down the moment she realised her father was holding her again. She snuggle further into him, fisting her small hand in his shirt. Jethro looked up, meeting Joann's gaze.

"You can't take her from me Joann..." Jethro cleared his throat, the memory of what he had done. Seeing Shannon's ghost was still fresh in his mind and it caused more pain than he thought, "she's all I have left."

"Shannon was all _I_ had left, and now she's gone because of you!"

"Just say it Joann."

"You killed her!" The words left before she could think about it. Joann clamped one hand over her mouth, staring at Jethro, she hadn't meant to say that.

Jethro closed his eyes, calming himself down. He tried to appease her statement by telling himself it was her way of grieving, that if he had been in her shoes he would've said the same thing. Joann stepped closer to him, pressing one hand to his cheek, the same one she had slapped earlier.

Joann had seen the flash of pain her words had caused, "Jethro I didn't… I didn't mean-" She was cut off as he shook his head. Joann bit her lip painfully, trying to hide the tears. She retreated to the small open dining room, sinking down on one of the chairs.

The all too familiar silence of the house had returned, making it's occupant wallow in their own guilt.

Jethro pushed off the counter, making his way to the dining room table. Pulling out a chair he sat down, giving his aching knee a chance to rest. Glancing down he met his daughter's eyes, the grey orbs were slowly starting to turn blue. He raised an eyebrow at the little girl and her mouth twitched into a tiny smile, he gave her his own rare smile. When he glanced back up he saw Joann looking at them.

"I never wanted to take Shannon away from you." He spoke gruffly. The older woman held up a hand silencing him. She'd realised that both Jethro and Kelly needed each other more than she had ever realised.

"Kelly needs you just as much as you need her." She could see the look in his eyes change when he saw his daughter or held her or even spoke to her. Those cobalt blues seemed less haunted when he was around Kelly – a look that had accompanied him since the moment he opened the door a few days ago.

Joann stood, making her way to stand next to him. She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the baby's forehead. "Take care of her Jethro."

* * *

The bright orange walls appeared even brighter than usual with the light bouncing off them as it shone through the windows and the skylight above them. The bustle of people running or moving around seemed louder than usual. Mike Franks glared at each probationary or annoying agent that passed by his part of the office. The bullpen was his domain and he waited patiently for someone to venture past so he could growl at them. Quickly turning in his chair he glared at the young boy who sat across from him, poking away at the square piece of plastic. Damn computers were everywhere.

Running his hand over his mouth, smoothing down his moustache, he cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. He was silently cursing himself for drinking one too many Coronas the previous night. Catching the young man's eye he glared at him even more.

"What?" Mike barked and watched in amusement as the boy panicked, trying to find an appropriate response.

"Uh… I was just… never mind." William Decker mumbled softly averting his gaze back to his own desk, he was really hoping that transfer to San Diego would be approved, sooner rather than later. The older agent was giving him nightmares the more time he spent with him.

"Get back to work." Mike growled at him, he didn't necessarily dislike the guy, he just had to keep them on their toes from time to time, well most of the time.

The elevator indicated yet another arrival on the already busy floor. Without paying attention Mike pulled an old cold case file towards him, leaning back he set about familiarising himself with the case. He was aware that someone had stopped in front of his desk. He spotted the polished shoes underneath the desk, he bristled at the thought of dealing with a JAG lawyer early in the morning, and to make it worse he couldn't remember if he had to be in court today. Throwing the case file on his desk he met the other person with a glare, what he didn't expect was to be met with one as well.

Jethro Gibbs stood on the other side of his desk. Mike bit back a laugh, seeing a marine clutching a car seat in one hand with a frilly pink bag slung over his shoulder was really a sight to be seen. He could see Decker giving him a strange look. Mike cleared his throat, regretting it immediately as his headache intensified.

"Can I help you Gunny? Daycare is on the other side of town." The marine gave a slight chuckle. "What you wearin' that penguin suit for?"

Jethro rolled his shoulders back straightening slightly.

"Look at you. All self-loathing and misery. You make me sick. Come here to mope?"

"Nope. Came here for a job." Mike Franks raised an eyebrow at the gunny. He'd gone to update Jethro on the case a few weeks prior hinting that he could use a man like him on his team, it seemed the young man had been able to pick up on what he had implied.

Mike stood, making his way around the desk, looking first at the car seat before meeting the ex-marines gaze. "You really want to be a cop? You gotta let a lot of old stuff go, learn a lot of new stuff to take its place. You think you can do that?"

Jethro shifted his weight, looking down at his sleeping daughter. She was sleeping peacefully and he'd do anything to keep her safe. He looked back up nodding his head, "I think I'd be a good cop."

Mike gave him a slap on the back and nodded. He motioned towards Decker with one hand before taking his seat behind his desk. "Decker, show the probie where HR is." Mike barked at the other agent causing him to shoot from his chair.

Decker made his way to Mike's desk giving the new guy a curious look. You had to be insane to voluntarily work with Mike Franks. He looked from Mike to the gunny, and then at the car seat he was holding. He cleared his throat a little uncomfortably, pointing at the car seat. "She's gonna have to stay here with Mike if you want them to take you seriously."

Jethro glared at Decker for no reason before turning towards Mike. He placed the car seat on the desk along with the pink baby bag. He turned the seat so Kelly was facing Mike. "She's been fed, so she'll be sleepin' for a while. If she wakes up and she's cryin', just hold her."

The agent looked more than a little uncomfortable about looking after the infant while her father was gone. Mike scowled at Decker, a silent threat that he'd be paying for dumping this situation on him. He shooed the two away, there was no point in wasting time if she was going to wake up at any moment.

Mike rolled his chair closer to his desk, curiosity getting the better of him. He made sure there was no-one around before he lifted the baby blanket to look inside. The infant was in fact wide awake and looking straight at him. He glared at the baby, willing her to fall back asleep.

Kelly blinked a little tiredly and kicked her onesie covered feet, cooing at the teddy bear that laid next to her in the car seat. Mike poked her foot gently, drawing her attention back to him, she kicked her feet again and looked at him. He could now see why the gunny was such a softy around the little girl, she could melt anyone's heart.

Jethro followed behind Decker down a quiet hall. He turned to him as they stopped in front of a silver door, "Never got you're name."

"Gibbs." Decker nodded thoughtfully. It was definitely the same Gibbs from the case they had worked a few weeks ago. He looked the man up and down, "Why work for Mike? He's one of the worst mentors around."

Jethro allowed himself to smile when he realised the other man was merely joking about the older agent. He shrugged his shoulders.

He liked Mike.

* * *

The steady rhythm of someone sanding drifted through the half cracked door, breaking the usual silence. The sun was just staring to set, making the dust particles visible as they drifted in the air. Outside various car doors slammed shut as people retuned home.

Jethro smoothed his palm over the piece of wood he was sanding, feeling it for any imperfections. The simple task relaxing him for awhile. He pressed the sanding block to the wood again, working away the few imperfections that were still left. Stepping back and inspecting the wood once again he placed the sander on the work bench. Taking a swig from the ceramic mug he leaned back against the work bench. Staring in the black liquid, he childishly hoped to find the answers to his current predicament.

Kelly gurgled softly in her car seat, clearly fascinated by the various farm animals on the blanket that covered her car seat. Jethro lifted the piece of cloth, meeting his daughters light blue gaze, he raised an eyebrow at her, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"You're supposed to be asleep." He spoke softly, drawing the little girls attention to him. She looked at him briefly before turning her attention back to the blanket. Jethro sighed and rubbed his face roughly. He didn't know what he was going to do with Kelly while he worked during the day. He'd thought of daycare, but he didn't like that idea, at least not until she was old enough. A nanny was another option, but he didn't trust anyone to even come close to his daughter, let alone leave her with a complete and total stranger.

He pulled the chain from around his neck revealing his wedding ring along with Shannon's – he'd found it amongst her belongings that came back from NCIS – he clutched both rings in his palm. "I could really use your help on this one Shannon."

He felt ridiculous talking to thin air. Jethro turned back towards Kelly. The little girl stared at him, her blue eyes boring into him. He leaned down on his elbows and stared at her. She gave him a gummy smile, clutching the bear he'd bought her before she was born. He only had a couple of weeks left before he was officially discharged after medical leave from the core and started at NCIS.

There were footsteps above them, moving hesitantly across the wooden floors. The small landing at the top of the stairs creaked loudly as someone stepped onto it. Jethro half expected Mike Franks to come into view, only to pester him about starting work earlier, and to make some remark about Kelly being raised by wolves.

He pulled a jar towards him, dumping the nails and screws on the workbench. He waited for the heavy footsteps to descend the stairs. When there seemed to be no movement coming from the other presence, he turned to make sure that he wasn't imagining things.

Jethro stopped dead in his tracks the moment he was met with a very familiar face. He stiffened visibly as he turned back around. Dusting his t-shirt off he pulled the car seat closer, grabbed the farm animal blanket and lifted Kelly from her comfortable seat. She snuggled into her father as he held her against his chest. Making his way towards the old staircase, he slowly made his way up the stairs, stopping short of stepping onto the landing.

"Joann." He greeted the older woman, she nodded in greeting before stepping back so he could pass her.

She followed behind him, going back to living room that was more than just a mess. There were baby blankets scattered all over, various toys and teddy bears adorning the couch. Jethro waited for the inevitable scolding for having such a messy living room.

Joann moved a few stuffed animals to the side before taking a seat. Jethro sat across from her with Kelly leaning against him, both staring at her.

"You come here to take my daughter from me again, or should I expect social services to come through the door at any moment?" He asked sarcastically. He was expecting her to drop by unannounced, her abrupt decision that he should raise his daughter by himself had gone over far too easily.

Joann clenched her jaw, allowing the jab to pass without a response, she wasn't here to fight.

"No Jethro that's not why I'm here." She wasn't willing to collaborate her reason for showing up until she was sure they reached a truce, even if it just was for Kelly's sake.

"Ah, so you here to make sure I'm looking after Kelly like a good father should."

"Bloody hell Jethro! Grow up." She snapped at him from across the room.

"Then why are you here Joann?" He was slowly starting to lose his patience with Joann's reluctance to tell him why she had decided to drop by unexpectedly. There was a brief silence both people looking at each other.

"I'd like to think that Shannon would have wanted me to know my granddaughter." She could see that she had struck a nerve at the mention of her daughter, and that he was surely still grieving even if he tried to hide it from everyone else.

Jethro gripped the armrest tightly, he should of known she'd try to make him feel bad for lashing out at her. He shifted in the recliner and adjusted Kelly so she was more comfortable. He kept his mouth shut for a while refraining from saying something sarcastic.

"One hell of a drive for a visit." He found some form of satisfaction from his comment as she pursed her lips and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"That's not why I'm here Jethro."

"Then why are you here Joann, you leave somethin' from the last time you were here. I could've send it to ya."

Taking a deep breath, Joann folded her hands in her lap sitting forward. She cleared her throat before speaking, "I'm selling the house in Stillwater," Jethro nodded, indicating that he was listening. "I figured it would be the only way I'd get to see Kelly, if I live here in DC."

"Kinda sudden don't you think?"

"There's nothing left for me there Jethro. I might as well move on."

Jethro silently wondered if it was his silent plea from earlier that was being answered, he dismissed the absurd thought quickly, he couldn't afford to lose his marbles this early in life.

"I guess it's a valid reason. For you stopping by I mean." Jethro offered his mother-in-law a smile as she looked at him. He had liked Joann from the moment he had met her, but her stunt when he came back from Mexico and made him careful. Joann gave him a small smile in return.

The street lights started flicking on one by one as the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon. Grabbing her coat Joann made her way to the front door. Jethro stood as well cradling Kelly, she yawned and smacked her lips. He was feeling somewhat bad for treating Joann the way he did, his wife would have wanted her mother to be apart of their daughter's life. Just like he would have wanted his mother to be apart of Kelly's life.

"Joann... wait." The older woman stopped, turning away from the door. She could see him thinking. She wondered how Shannon could have communicated with a man who struggled to express himself – not due to a lack of trying, but he just didn't talk.

"You can stay if you want," He shifted his weight, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, "at least until you find your feet."

Joann blinked away a few tears, nodding her thanks. Jethro passed Kelly to her, throwing the blanket over her that seemed to have taken her fancy.

"If you can take her for a while I'll start dinner." Jethro turned, heading to the kitchen.

Jethro rocked the car seat gently back and forth, trying to get Kelly to fall asleep, her eyes closed after a few minutes her head tilting to the side as she finally gave in. Taking a swig from the bitter brew in his cup, Jethro leaned back against the chair.

"Have you found a job yet?" Joann asked after finishing her own cup of tea. Jethro raised an eyebrow.

"So that's why you're here." Jethro said deadpan, his face serious. Joann stared at him, unsure if he was just trying to rile her up. He gave a slight chuckle before clenching his jaw, he nodded his reply. "Guy who worked Shannon's case offered me a job."

"I suppose that's something." They both fell silent again, each caught up in their own thoughts. Joann observed Jethro for a while – he kept looking at the car seat making sure the little girl was still there – and in some ways he reminded her of herself when she had been in his position.

"You know Jethro, when Shannon's father died she was all I had left. All I wanted to do was keep her safe." Her voice was strained with tears.

"What you tryin' to say?"

"Don't become so obsessed with keeping her safe that in the end you drive her away, and end up losing her in anyway." Joann wiped her eyes and sniffed softly, she excused herself and rushed towards the stairs.

Jethro knew there was more to it than what Joann was trying to tell him. He had first had experience, he grew up with one parent, and till this day he hated his father. He hated the fact that Jackson never spoke about his mother, as if she never even existed. Was that what Joann was trying to warn him against? Not to keep what happened to Shannon a secret, or to share his memories with his daughter?

The thought of telling Kelly what happened, that her mother had been murdered for trying to do the right thing, hardly seemed like the type of talk he should be looking forward to. It was better than lying to her. Jethro scrubbed a hand over his face tiredly. This parenting thing was more complicated than he thought.

Draining the last mouthful of coffee, he cleared the table and set the dishes in the sink, he was too tired to do them right now. Walking through the dining room he grabbed the car seat along with the stack of books on the ironing board and set them on the coffee table, the car seat facing the couch. Throwing the stuffed animals on to another couch, Jethro leaned back staring at the ceiling. He groaned at the though of studying to take a stupid test, not even Mike could get him out of that one.

Kelly gurgled in her sleep, snuggling into the grey bear. The bear had been there when she was born—with a strange grey colour and glassy looking eyes, it was far from some of the other bears she had. It had been his way of apologising for not being there when she was born.

The staircase creaked drawing his attention. Joann appeared in the dim light near the door, looking more composed than she did before. She took a hesitant step, unsure of what to do next. Wringing her hands, she looked around the room, noticing the few picture frames on the mantelpiece. One or two of her daughter's wedding day, and one of Shannon and Kelly just after the baby had been born. They hadn't been there the first time she arrived.

"Do you need somethin'?" Jethro murmured from where he was leaning against the couch.

Shaking her head, Joann walked up to him perching on the arm rest, she pointed at the pictures, "They weren't there before." she stated softly. She didn't receive a reply from him and left it at that.

Kelly gurgled from where she was sat in her car seat, her light blue eyes taking in her surroundings, she clutched her grey companion close to her chest. Jethro stared at the little girl incredulously, he made sure he read the time right before meeting his mother-in-law's gaze. His brows were knitted together in confusion, he looked at Kelly again, willing her to go back to sleep.

"What is it Jethro?"

"She's supposed to be sleepin'." Joann snorted softly, although very unladylike. He looked at her, irritation clouding his eyes.

"Jethro, with babies you never know what to expect. Sometimes all they do is sleep, and most of the time they keep you awake when you need sleep." She gave him a reassuring smile. He laughed softly, more at the absurdity of the situation than at what she said. He would never have thought he'd be raising a little girl by himself.

He leaned forward on his elbows, looking his daughter in the eye, she blinked and looked at the teddy next to her. He grabbed her foot gently, drawing her attention back to him again. He sighed inwardly, he still didn't know what he was going to do with Kelly. He was considering asking Joann if she would mind looking after her, but given what happened the last time, he was slightly apprehensive of asking. Even though they had come to a sort of silent impasse, there were still a few issues that were unresolved, and he doubted she'd think twice about taking Kelly and leaving if given ample opportunity.

He glanced at the stack of books on the coffee table then at Kelly, deciding that it would be an early night for both him and the infant. He took her out of the car seat. He stood slowly from the couch, trying to disguise the low grunt of pain as a tired yawn. Kelly fisted her hand against his chest, pulling a few chest hair as she gripped his shirt, he clenched his jaw trying to loosen her grip. He turned towards Joann giving her a slight nod, saying goodnight. He was close to the stairs when she spoke.

"Thank you Jethro," he stopped, "for letting me stay here." She was sincere, of that he was sure. He simply shook his head and dismissed it by wave of his hand, indicating that it was nothing, and disappeared up the stairs.

It was sometime later, when Jethro came down to make sure everything was locked up, that he saw Joann still sitting in the same place. He locked the door quickly and threw the keys next to the lamp on the table close to the door. He glanced around the corner of the living room. Shaking his head, he made his way to the couch. He offered his hand to the older woman, helping her up. He didn't ask why she had been sitting in the dark, and he knew it wasn't really his business.

He envied her, something that he'd never admit to her or say out loud. She had lost both her husband and daughter, and still had the will to get up in the morning. Something he had found increasingly hard the first few days, but Kelly had helped him to ignore the grief he had experienced, only to have it return at night. However she had no one to distract her, and his own selfishness had prevented her from receiving comfort from the only person she had left. He felt a brief twinge of shame before shaking it off.

They stopped in the hall, just outside the guest room. Jethro breathed deeply hoping his next decision wouldn't bite him in the butt in the future. "Joann..." he couldn't think of the best way to say what he wanted and appeared to be hesitant, "would you mind watching Kelly during the day while I work?"

She had picked up on his difficulty to express himself and had found it rather amusing as Jethro struggled to say what he wanted. Joann gave him a warm smile, her fondness of him growing a little more despite their past. She nodded and kissed his cheek. She could feel him relax.

Jethro walked back to the his room. He stopped next to Kelly's bassinet, pulling the blankets up around her and making sure she was still okay. He rested his hand on her head protectively.

He could see Shannon smiling at him, and he couldn't help but smile back nostalgically. Even though he knew it was impossible, he couldn't help but wonder if she had answered his earlier plea.

* * *

 _3 months later_

* * *

The NCIS building was, for once, quiet – a rare occurrence. It was mainly due to the sweltering heat that had seemed to settle over the city the last week, making everyone in a non-conditioned room snappy, or in Mike Franks' case more rude than usual. Everyone had taken lunch as an opportunity to escape the steady heating sauna they called an office, thanks to the broken air-conditioning.

Mike glared at the man across from him, hating him for appearing to be cool despite the heat, his glare only intensified when the man took a large drink from the white cup that seemed to accompany him everywhere. He wiped his brow with the almost damp handkerchief, he wondered if the probie's tie would be more effective at keeping the sweat out of his eyes.

Mike silently wished the young agent would find a break in the case, anything just to get out of the hot building. He watched as the same white cup was lifted once again.

"Probie!" Mike watched in amusement as he gulped the hot swill quickly, no doubt having burned himself. He snorted as Jethro licked his lips trying to ease the burn.

"Yeah, Boss?" Jethro refrained from sounding irritated, trying to avoid Mike bullying him into a broom closet, something Decker had said over his shoulder as he dashed towards the elevator eager to get on his flight to San Diego.

"You find anythin' yet, or are you just gonna drink from that damn cup of yours?" Mike growled as he rounded his desk.

"The heat gettin' to ya Mike?" Thought you served in Nam." Mike glared at him as he towered over his desk, trying to see if he had found a lead in their case.

"Don't you get smart with me Probie." Jethro laughed at Mike's discomfort due to the heat. He tried to find all his notes on their murder victims.

Mike had said it was a simple open and shut case, that once the forensics had confirmed the murder weapon and the finger prints, they'd have their suspect – hook, line and sinker. But when their suspect had ended up dead despite being the killer as well, an open and shut case hadn't seem that easy any more. Jethro was more than sure that there hadn't been any stranger cases than this one, and that the older man was starting to lose his touch.

"I found nothing Boss. Who ever killed our killer must have been friends with the victim or he's behind everything."

"You don't say Probie."

Mike marched around his desk, grabbing his badge and weapon. He cast his jacket a brief glance deciding against wearing it. Rummaging around his desk for a new pack of cigarettes and the car keys to one of the sedans, he stopped and stared at Jethro who seemed oblivious to the fact that they were leaving.

"Probie! You waitin' for an invite or somethin'?" Jethro quickly shook his head before grabbing his jacket and cap, already heading for the elevator.

Mike rolled his eyes at him before marching behind him, muttering something about the heat and his probie wearing a jacket. The silver doors slid shut heading towards the garage. Mike slapped Jethro on the back of the head, making him stumble forward. He turned around and glared at the older agent.

"What was that for?"

"For bein' cocky."

The outside world was hotter than it was inside the building. The only thing both agents were thankful for was the air-conditioning inside the car. Jethro stared out the window, pretending to listen to Mike as he told one of his many stories about some woman.

He checked his watch. He was more than a little disgruntled when he had to ask Joann if she would take Kelly to her monthly check-up. So far he had been able to take her each time, but the case had prevented him from taking her. They had to be done at the doctors by now, he'd call her when they got back to the office. The last few months had been rough on both him and Joann.

Kelly had caught a cold due to the change in seasons, and on top of that she had struggled with cramps. The first night it had happened, Jethro had panicked and he and the little girl had spent the better part of the evening in the emergency room at Bethesda. Partly because he was too proud to ask Joann for help, and he was too paranoid to realise that her discomfort was due to cramps. He'd spent the most part of the following day sleeping at his desk whenever he could, only to have Mike make fun of him due to his stupidity and slap him on the back of the head.

Jethro ran a hand through his hair, he blinked, closing his eyes longer than necessary. His eyes burned from the lack of sleep, he suppressed a yawn, hoping to hide it. His lack of sleep was the main reason he drank copious amounts of coffee despite the heat. Somewhere during the last few weeks his daughter had started confusing her nights and days, and now he was paying for it. He fought the urge to rub his eyes like toddler, placating himself that he'd make up for the loss of sleep over the weekend.

Mike came to a sudden stop, causing the young agent next to him to almost hit the dashboard. He snorted before chuckling loudly, he ignored the glare shot his way and turned of the car. He coughed, clearing his throat, he grabbed his cap and secured it on his head before turning back to Jethro.

"Wake up marine! Nap time's only for that little girl of yours." Jethro mumbled something under his breath as he got out of the car, "You better hurry Probie, I haven't got all day."

Jethro scowled at the back of the older man's head before jogging after him in order to catch up.

Jethro bounced his knee impatiently as he waited for Mike to finish talking to their victims Commanding Officer. He didn't understand why he had to wait outside the office, but something told him the two men knew each other, and that they were talking about more than just their murdered marines.

The young woman behind one of the desks he had questioned a little while earlier smiled at him, shooting him a sympathetic look, noting his impatience. She was about to say something when her words were cut off. There were raised voices coming from another office. Jethro groaned at the thought of having to solve another murder when they couldn't even find a break in the current one.

The door flew open, and Jethro straightened out of habit once he noticed the man standing in the doorway was a Colonel. His brow furrowed when he realised he was an Army Colonel, it wasn't a secret that the Marine Corps and the Army weren't the biggest of friends. Jethro squinted, trying to read the small name plate. He could barely make out the name before the Colonel hurried towards the exit.

Mike puffed smoke into the hot summer air watching it blow away in the slight breeze that had picked up. He kicked his boots against the concrete, trying to see how many black marks he could leave. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and adjusted his sunglasses, watching in amusement as Jethro questioned their dead marines' squad. He could see the young man slowly start to lose his patience as one after the other appeared to know nothing.

Jethro made his way back to where Mike was standing in the shade. The older man dropped his finished cigarette and stepped on it. Mike cleared his throat, "Anything Probie?" Mike chuckled as he watched Jethro clench his jaw and shake his head violently.

"They know nothin' about them."

"They usually don't." Mike pulled another cigarette from his breast pocket, lighting it with practised ease, "You done?" Jethro shook his head, he'd sent the last guy to call the last handful of men that were in the squad.

Jethro checked his watch – something he'd come to do more often since he and Kelly had fallen into a routine. He let out a soft huff, they'd spent three hours questioning – in his opinion – a clueless group of men. He was unsettled from not having talked to Joann yet; by this time he would have spoken to her at least once, just to make sure Kelly was still all right. Mike greeted the Colonel walking past them, reminding Jethro of the Army Colonel he'd seen.

"Mike?"

"What Probie?" Jethro paged through his notes trying to find the page with the name of the Colonel.

"You know an Army Colonel… Shepard, I think?"

"Army Colonel?" Mike slapped Jethro on the back of the head, "You're a Marine. What you askin' about the Army for."

Jethro rubbed the back of his head tenderly, that last hit seemed a lot harder than the others he'd received over the last few months. There wasn't any particular reason for him actually asking, just something about the man seemed to draw his attention.

"He's some big shot at the Pentagon." Mike growled as he blew smoke into the air once again, shaking his head, "Now stop asking questions before a make you walk back to Head Quarters."

Jethro rolled his eyes, he'd rather walk back than suffer from the constant blows to the head. The young Private waved Jethro over, indicating towards the few men walking towards them. He tried to mentally prepare himself for another round of pointless interviews. He could hear Mike's scratchy laugh as he walked to meet them.

Jethro tapped his notebook against his thigh, agitated, he was starting to see why every probationary agent Mike had had over the last few months had transferred. Each time he was answered with an _'I don't know sir',_ Mike laughed, and each laugh was increasing in volume. Three hours were slowly turning into four. He'd sent the young Private to fetch the last marine who hadn't showed. Mike whistled from the shade, indicating to the young man jogging towards them.

He stopped in his tracks, looking between the two agents. He seemed hesitant, unsure whether he should talk to them or not. Jethro shoved his notebook in his jacket pocket, annoyed with the man's reluctance to talk to him. He blamed his annoyance on the heat and Mike's constant cackling in the background. He walked to meet him halfway, but the young man seemed to have other ideas.

The young man set off in the opposite direction, his heavy boots thumping loudly as he ran. Jethro broke out into a sprint, he briefly entertained the idea of shooting him in the knee cap to stop him, but he doubted Mike could get him out of that one. He could hear Mike behind him, all the while cursing and breathing rather heavily.

Jethro lunged forwards, tackling their suspect to the ground.

He wrapped his arms around his waist as they both plummeted to the earth. The hard concrete scraping the skin off his hands, he felt the sting before it started burning. He felt his centre of gravity shift as he was thrown on his back. He tried to block the blow to his jaw, but wasn't fast enough. Ignoring the pain, he bashed the heel of his hand into the other man's nose, giving him enough leverage to pin him down and cuff him.

Mike came up behind them, wheezing from the physical exertion. "I hate it when they run."

Jethro laughed shaking his head at Mike. He stood up from the ground, grunting in pain. He had a slight limp in his previously injured knee, bloody hands and a nice bruise blossoming on his jaw. He hoped that this was their killer, otherwise he really was going to shoot him in the knee.

* * *

There was a clumsy clatter coming from the kitchen, the only noise keeping Jethro from falling asleep, the softness of the couch was lulling him to sleep, making him feel almost paralysed. Kelly was laying on his chest, her blue eyes studying him closely. She touched his jaw where he'd been hit earlier and he grit his teeth, trying not to pull away and startle her. Taking her hand in his, he kissed her chubby fingers making her coo at him softly, she buried her face against his chest. He hugged her closer to him, relaxing even further.

Joann had scolded him when he had picked Kelly up, she had demanded that he be more careful, and somehow he had gathered it hadn't been such a good day for the two of them. Despite having her shots which usually made her grumpy and a little sick, Kelly had days were she was extremely attached to him refusing to let anyone hold her besides her father and was usually inconsolable when he wasn't around. Jethro guessed that it had been one of those days, having a fussy baby did little for ones patience, something he'd learned over the last few months. Joann had reassured him that despite her temporary illness, Kelly was in fact healthy.

There was a loud clatter in the kitchen followed by a curse. Kelly jerked against him, startled by the loud noise. Jethro tapped her back the best he could with his bruised hand, calming her down.

Mike appeared in the living room, holding a half closed baby bottle, an icepack and a bottle of Corona. He glared at Jethro and his infant. He placed his Corona on the coffee table, thrusting the icepack into Jethro's hand roughly as he tried to close Kelly's bottle properly. He scowled as Jethro tried to hide his laughter, making a mental note to slap him for it later. He gave him the bottle and retreated to one of the other chairs, grabbing his own bottle and taking a long sip from it.

He watched as Jethro tried to navigate giving Kelly her bottle and keeping the icepack on his knee. He'd never admit it or say it out loud, but the little blue eyed girl had wormed her way into his heart over the last three months. He respected Jethro greatly for being a father to the infant and managing to stay on his team for longer than a month. He sometimes wondered if Jethro's mother-in-law had something to do with his motivation to work, he had met the woman once and he knew she was one lady he didn't want to mess with.

"Mike what took you so long?" Mike looked confused for a second.

"I was looking for the bottle." Mike mumbled under his breath quickly.

Jethro raised an eyebrow sceptically, he always placed everything in reach of where he was working and he was more than sure he'd placed the sterilised bottles next to the formula. He started laughing as it dawned on him, "You didn't know how to make a bottle, did you?"

"Shut up Probie." Jethro laughed even more, causing Mike to look at him outraged that he'd laugh at his expense.

"If I had known, I'd have asked you to change her instead." Mike grimaced at the thought of changing a diaper, he liked the kid and her father, but there were some things he refused to do.

"I swear Probie, you make me do that and the whole office will know what a softy you are." It was Jethro's turn to glare at the older man.

It was fun watching other people try to avoid them. The office gossip was that the only reason Jethro could stick around and endure Mike's growliness, was because he himself was somewhat grumpy. He didn't mind them thinking he was gruff, it meant they left him alone and no one bothered him about wanting to know who he was and why he had joined NCIS.

Kelly pushed her bottle away, blinking at her father before grabbing his hand, he bit back the gasp of pain as she squeezed his raw finger. She kicked her legs as she babbled to herself, oblivious to the fact that her father was trying to save his finger from further harm.

Mike gave a hearty chuckle as Jethro tried to avoid his daughter's death like grip on his fingers. He downed the rest of his beer, leaving the empty bottle on the coffee table. He searched around for his car keys.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets he stood next to Jethro, looking down at Kelly, he discreetly pulled his face at her before giving her a smile. He slapped Jethro on the shoulder. "Now little miss Kelly you give Probie here all the hell he deserves you hear?"

Jethro rolled his eyes, "Jeez, thanks Mike."

"Anything to help Probie."

Mike slammed the front door as he left, leaving father and daughter alone. Jethro pulled the chain from around his neck, taking it out from under his shirt. The two wedding bands rested in his palm, low enough for Kelly to see. It was routine for them to stare at the two wedding bands, as if reminiscing about the woman they had lost. Kelly touched the two wedding bands, her tiny fingers slipping inside the perfect circles, Jethro closed his palm holding her hand in his. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight the sting at the back of his eyes. He held Kelly close to him. The loss was still very painful, and he knew that it would take time to move on.

For tonight he held his daughter close, drawing comfort from her like he always did.

Still unable to let go.

* * *

 _Please let me know what you think, pretty please :)_


	4. Troubling Threes

_Chapter 4: Troubling Threes_

 _ **Disclaimer:** Anything you recognise belongs to the producers and creators of the show._

 _ **A/N:** To everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, you rock, thank you for reviewing._

 _Keep in mind this is close to how the characters were in the first few seasons, especially Tony._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

 _3 years later (Late March 1996)_

* * *

A pair of icy blue eyes glared at him from across the breakfast table, and he tried his best to keep the smirk from spreading across his face. Kelly crossed her arms, tucking her chin close to her chest, she would have looked threatening but her wild curls only made her look adorable. Jethro rubbed the side of his face roughly, slowly starting to become impatient.

"No, no eat bweakfast daddy."

"Kelly, you'll be hungry when you're at your grandma's." The little girl stared at her father with wide eyes, her lower lip quivering slightly, something that made him give in easily.

"I no hungwy daddy." Jethro let out a deep breath, he was more than concerned with Kelly's lack of an appetite the last few days. She couldn't be sick, she'd fought that bug just before her third birthday. Standing, he helped the little girl out of her high-chair, settling her on his hip.

He placed the untouched bowl of cereal in the sink along with his empty plate. He could feel Kelly watching him closely as he moved around the kitchen. He met her gaze, raising an eyebrow at her playfully, she giggled softly and pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek. He hugged her close laughing at her quite giggles.

"Love you daddy." Jethro winked at her and placed her back on her feet, watching her scramble off towards the living room.

Jethro listened to the television going on and some strange cartoon's theme song playing. He shook his head and set about doing the dishes before they left. He silently chastised himself for oversleeping, it had never happened before, maybe staying up late to work on the boat wasn't such a good idea after long cases. If Mike was still his boss he'd behaving serious brain damage from the head slap he'd get for being late.

Kelly's laughter travelled through the house, making Jethro smile softly. It was a sound that – a year ago – he thought he'd never hear again, if it weren't for Mike. He'd saved his life on a stake-out that had gone wrong very quickly, resulting in the older man taking a bullet for his Probie. The ambulance ride to the hospital was one he'd never forget, he'd been more insulted in those fifteen minutes than he had ever been in Boot Camp.

Week after the incident and Mike had recovered from the injury and wanted to return back to work he failed his physical and the doctor had advised him to retire instead.

A few weeks after having to retire he'd moved down to Baja, and they hadn't seen him since but he had called Kelly on her birthday. The little girl had been beside herself to hear from the grumpy old agent she had come to adore.

The sudden clatter of something breaking brought Jethro out of his reverie. Drying his hands, he rushed to the living room praying that there wasn't any blood. He came to a stop as his daughter crashed into his legs. She looked up at him, her usually red cheeks were white. He knelt down in front of her holding her at arms length. He quickly assessed the situation, making sure he didn't see any cuts or forming bruises.

"I bweak daddy's cup." Jethro grit his teeth as a few tears ran down Kelly's cheeks, he hated it when she cried, the thought that she might be in pain made him want hide her from the rest of the world.

"Kelly, honey it's okay. I know it was an accident." He pulled Kelly against him, holding her close to his chest. He rubbed her back trying to calm her down. Jethro kissed her temple, he tucked a curl behind her ear smiling at her.

"Go grab your backpack, grandma's going to bring you to work a little later." Kelly looked at him, excitement clear in her blue eyes. She smiled up at him before darting up the stairs.

Jethro quickly grabbed his car keys and service weapon. He looked around the living room trying to find the grey bear she usually took every where. Finding the bear underneath one of Kelly's blankets, he made his way to the foyer just in time as Kelly skipped down the steps.

Jethro handed her the bear and helped her into her jacket. She walked to the door waiting for her father to pull on his coat.

"Huwy up daddy."

Jethro smirked before ushering the little girl out the door, he shook his head as she talked about nothing in particular. She reminded him of her mother more and more each day.

The car ride had suddenly turned very quiet. Glancing in the rear view mirror, Jethro saw Kelly fast asleep, her mouth slightly open. He sighed heavily as he turned his attention back to the road. He wasn't too keen on having Kelly around Head Quarters, there were too many risks of the wrong person knowing about her and using it against him. But his team had rather subtly pleaded that she spend the day with them before she started preschool.

He swallowed; it felt like yesterday he had first met her, now she was starting preschool. He was against the idea, having her stay with Joann until she started school was fine by him, but the older woman had convinced him it was important for her to socialise with children her age. He had given in when he realised that her friends were more than twice her age, except that they were more like family. Jethro pulled into the driveway, turning the car off.

Moving as quickly as possible, he unbuckled Kelly from her car seat and grabbed her backpack as he lifted her out of the car seat. He held Kelly close to him, trying to shield her from the still crispy air.

The door swung open revealing Joann still dressed in her nightgown. Jethro brushed past her, giving her a nod before finding somewhere to place Kelly. Things between him and Joann had been civil since she'd showed up in his basement three years ago, but there were occasions he questioned the older woman's real intentions.

Jethro laid Kelly down on the couch, careful of waking her, "She didn't eat breakfast this morning so she might be hungry when she gets up."

"Is she sick? She doesn't sleep until later in the morning." Jethro shook his head. He wasn't about to tell her that he was a little lenient with bed time last night.

"Nah, she had a late night." Jethro pressed a gentle kiss to Kelly's curly hair. He rubbed her back softly and draped the small throw blanket over her to keep her warm. There was a rustle behind him and he spotted the little dog. He glared at the weird little thing, he couldn't see how it could be classified as a dog, much less a pet. It had a head full of hair and that was about it. He shooed the dog away and kissed Kelly on the forehead one last time.

"What time should I bring her by?" Joann asked in a hushed whisper as she walked Jethro to the front door.

"'Bout eleven." It gave him time to finish up some of his paperwork and his agents could get some work done before the little girl arrived and distracted all of them.

* * *

Anthony DiNozzo had his hands clasped together on top of his desk. He looked between the clock on his desk and the silver doors of the elevator. Checking his own watch just to make sure of the time, a rather smug smirk graced his handsome face. Drawing the attention of his co-worker across from him, he raised one eyebrow at her causing her to glare at him. He checked the clock on his desk and his smirk turned into a wide smile as the time showed exactly five minutes past eight.

"What is DiNozzo?" He perked up at her question, ignoring her irritated tone, eager to share this little bit of information that his co-worker thus far had been oblivious to.

"Boss is late." He flashed her another charming smile and leaned pack in his chair casually.

"And that means what exactly?"

"Oh Kate it's rather obvious..." Tony leaned forward, resting both arms on his desk, "Gibbs had a date, and so this morning they got to a late start. Therefore the Boss-Man is late."

Kate rolled her eyes annoyed, "Tony that proves nothing. Kelly might be sick, it's spring and you know she gets sick when the seasons change."

Tony gave her a patronising look, shaking his head at her. He was more than sure their boss was late due to some hot date, he'd have to double check with his little informant when she arrived later.

"Only a hot redhead can cause Gibbs to be late." Kate smiled at him before quickly sobering up.

Tony looked at her in fear before shooting out of his chair and spinning around, making himself dizzy. He expected to see their boss glaring at him with a coffee cup in one hand. He was relieved to find that there was no-one behind the partition.

He turned to glare at Kate when he came face to face with a pair of cobalt blue eyes. He gave him a nervous smile, noting that there was no coffee cup. He ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat.

"Mornin' Boss. Sleep well?" Jethro glared at the young man, motioning for him to come closer. Tony closed his eyes and grit his teeth painfully as a strong slap landed on the back of his head.

Kate laughed softly at Tony's petrified look of what exactly Jethro might have heard from their conversation. She bit her cheek to remain quiet, she gave Tony a teasing smile before turning back to her paperwork.

Jethro slammed his top drawer shut and shrugged his coat off his shoulders. He cracked his neck trying to ease some of the tension that seemed to plague him since waking up. His gut was churning, making him rather uncomfortable, he silently prayed it had nothing to do with Kelly coming to work.

Very green probationary agent Timothy McGee stumbled around the corner of the bullpen. His green eyes growing in size as he saw his boss already seated behind his desk, looking more annoyed and agitated than usual. He wiped one sweaty palm on his slacks, trying to form a coherent sentence without stuttering.

Jethro looked up from rummaging through his drawer, "You're late McGee."

"I know, sorry Boss it won't happen again. I uh... Abby needed a... uh..." Jethro held up his hand hoping to stop the young boy from rambling too much. He pointed towards McGee's desk.

Tony and Kate shared a brief smile. Tony gave McGee a reassuring look before turning his attention towards Gibbs, "That was kinda hypocritical, don't ya think Boss?" Kate shook her head at DiNozzo, begging him not to poke the already angry bear with a stick.

Jethro licked his lips, he knew better than anyone else that Tony liked to bait anyone and everyone just so he could get some for of information out of them. Although it was at times a rather irritating trait, it made him a fine investigator, which meant Jethro just had to grit his teeth and endure it. Bracing his palms against the desk he stared at his young agent.

Tony looked at Kate for some help but she avoided him as much as possible. He felt increasingly uncomfortable as Jethro stared at him, "Shutting up boss."

Jethro tuned out the quiet conversation between his three agents. He looked at the three men on the other side of the partition who were busy clearing the small bullpen. He peaked over the partition, noting the brand new computers and various boxes adorning each new desk. He scratched the back of his neck. He wondered if someone had been promoted or if there was a new team relocating next to them.

Ignoring it for now, he turned back to his work. Giving all three his agents a good glare for them to get back to work. When each pretended to look very busy he turned back to his own work, hoping he'd get some work done.

Tony glanced around the bullpen a few hours into pretending to be doing something useful. McGee was doing something geeky with his brand new computer, Kate was working through some old case file or doing paperwork, he wasn't really sure, and Gibbs was well – being Gibbs. He was considering following Kate's example but paperwork very rarely offered any entertainment.

Abby, maybe he could pay the mistress of the dark a little visit, together they could figure out why Gibbs had been late for work, but McGee might get jealous. He could go visit Ducky but then he might never return from autopsy.

Tony rolled his eyes at himself, who was he kidding? He was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the little girl that had wormed her way into his heart. He didn't generally like children, but he had made an exception for the little Gibbs. At times he was convinced she was the only person who liked him for who he truly was.

Scrunching a paper into a small ball, Tony aimed at McGee, throwing him with the paper ball against the head only resulted in a scowl. Making another one he aimed it at his boss, he didn't even want to know what would happen if he hit him. He aimed the ball at Kate and successfully hit her against the chest.

She slammed her hand on her desk and threw the ball back at him, hoping to hit him. He flashed her a charming smile. Taking aim once more he threw the paper ball a little more forcefully.

Kate blocked the ball effectively, hitting it away from herself. She gave Tony an arrogant look, feeling rather satisfied with her quick reflexes. The Italian stared at her with large green eyes, causing her heart to drop to the pit of her stomach.

The paper ball had been flicked to the left of her. Bouncing off of Jethro's computer monitor and hitting him directly in the eye. It didn't hurt but it had pissed him off. He took the ball and crushed it even smaller before tossing it into the bin. He glared at Kate first then at Tony, waiting for one of them to give him an explanation.

The two of them stared at each other, unsure of who was going to dare explain first. The elevator dinged but no one paid attention. Tony was about to say something when his saviour darted around the corner, she wasn't wearing any shining armour but her _All Star_ sneakers and _Pocahontas_ backpack did the trick.

"Daddy!" Kelly squealed as she saw her father behind his desk. He gave her a warm smile as she crashed into him, hugging him as best as possible. He pressed a quick kiss to her wild curls before walking to meet Joann near the large windows that overlooked the Navy Yard.

"Psst," Kelly spun around quickly, trying to find whoever made the noise. She ran towards Tony, climbing on to his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck giving him a tight hug. He was choking softly, but hugged her back nonetheless.

"I missed you Jelly Kelly." He whispered to her, making her giggle, she wrinkled her nose at him cutely before attacking him in another hug. "Go say hi to Kate."

Kelly slid off his lap and sauntered towards Kate's desk. She smiled at the older woman brightly, her blue eyes shining."Hi Kay."

Kate held out her arms helping Kelly onto her lap, the little girl gave her the same choking hug she had given Tony. Kate smile at her warmly, tucking one of her loose curls behind her ear. It puzzled her on occasion how Kelly was such a warm child and her father was the exact opposite, and the only time he actually smiled was when Kelly was with him. The little girl became restless and slid off her lap.

Jethro strolled back into the bullpen just as Kelly ran back from Kate's desk, causing her to crash into his legs like she did countless of times. He gave her a warning glance before swinging her up into his arms. He didn't mind her being active, but running around an area were all the desk corners were the same height as her head did nothing for his nerves.

Grabbing her backpack ,that she had dropped near his desk, along with the sleeping bag they used on occasions that she was at work with him, he spread everything under one of his desks out of the way from everyone's feet. Kelly waited patiently for her father to finish before she crawled under the desk. He grabbed her gently before she could move any further and made her stand in front of him. He rubbed his nose against hers softly, looking her straight in the eye.

"Did you say hi to everyone?" He knew that she had greeted both Tony and Kate, but since McGee had joined their team a few months ago she was still very shy around him. He nodded his head towards the young man, encouraging her to greet Tim as well.

Kelly strolled across the bullpen confidently, coming to a stop in front of the youngest agent's desk. She stood on her tip toes peaking over his desk. He looked up at her and smiled kindly, waving his fingers a little in greeting. Kelly returned the gesture a little more at ease with him, "Hi Bee."

Tony snorted at the nickname Kelly had given to their poor probie. He had felt rather smug when she had said his name correct the first time and had bragged about it for days. Up until Kate had informed him that kids nicknamed things they were fond of, his ego had seriously deflated. He still wasn't sure if what she said was true or if she was trying to make herself feel better that Kelly preferred to be his friend instead of theirs.

Jethro shook his head at his daughter, she'd come up with more nicknames than he cared to remember. It had been a struggle to get her to learn her own name never mind someone else's, for days she had called herself Belly instead of Kelly.

Kelly ran back to her father's desk and dove under the table. She unpacked her backpack quickly, placing her grey bear in the corner. Her father handed her the colouring book he kept in his desk drawer along with a well used packet of crayons. She smiled at him before turning her attention back to the colouring book.

Tony was already scrunching another ball to throw at Kate when Jethro caught him. He glared at the Italian, "Get back to work DiNozzo, before I sign you up for preschool as well."

* * *

Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was feeling more _special_ than usual. He adjusted the little girl on his hip and continued down the street to the pizza parlour on the corner. He flashed the young woman who walked past them a charming smile. It was one of the reasons he felt so special, the little girl accompanying him was making the ladies pay more attention to him, and he would be lying if he said he didn't like it. As long as Gibbs didn't know about it, then nothing could hurt Tony.

Opening the door they were both overwhelmed by the smell. Kelly kicked her legs excitedly when she saw the other people in one of the booths. Tony placed her on the ground and watched as she skipped towards their table.

Abby helped the little girl onto the seat before she was smothered in a tight hug. She wrapped her own arms around the tiny body and hugged her back. She moved the both of them so Tony could slide into the booth next to them. She gave little girl another hug before she settled between herself and Tony.

A young waitress made her way to the table, note pad in hand, "Are you ready to order?"

Kate rolled her eyes as Tony answered for all of them, trying his best to charm the young girl that helped them. He ordered their usual right to their drinks.

"And you honey what would you like to drink?" Kelly hid her face against Tony's side, suddenly too shy to answer the young woman.

"A soda." Tony smiled up at her patting Kelly's back softly.

"Fruit juice." Tony glared at Kate. The young woman looked between the two of them unsure. Kate looked at her again confirming that she should rather bring the little girl a fruit juice.

Abby snickered as they were left alone once again, "You two act like her parents."

Tony wrapped his arm around Kelly hugging her close to him and nodded his head. Kate rolled her eyes and pursed her lips slightly, "Gibbs would kill you if he knew you said Kelly was your daughter." Tony stuck out his tongue at her childishly.

"Where's her mother?" The table fell silent at McGee's question. Each person taking their turn to look at Kelly; the girl looked so much like her father that it was hard to even guess what her mother looked like, except her hair was curly and dark and his straight with a few strands of silver.

Kelly looked at each of them, her innocent eyes making her look more vulnerable. Tony caved and answered quietly, "We don't know Probie, Gibbs isn't the sharing type. It was just her and Gibbs when I started, Ducky might know but I doubt he'd spill the beans if you asked him."

Jethro was a private person and they all knew that, they hadn't even known about Kelly until they had ended up at his house one way or another. They doubted _she_ even knew who her mother was. They respected their boss too much to dig around in his personal files and they didn't want Kelly to start asking questions that were too painful to answer.

"Jelly Kelly you ready to start preschool tomorrow?" Tony changed the subject quickly.

"Yes. Daddy say I make new fwiends." Kelly spoke seriously. All the adults smiled at the little girl.

"That's right, but you'll always be my friend right?" Kelly looked up at Tony, her electric blue eyes looking right through him. He raised his eyebrows at her waiting for her answer.

"Always." She said and he didn't doubt her for one second.

Kate looked between Tony and Kelly, admiring them for a while. She'd never say it out loud but Tony seemed to be himself around the little girl. He didn't try to impress anyone when he interacted with her, he was still goofy at times but it was only for Kelly's entertainment. She most definitely admired the bond the two of them shared, something that had surprised her.

If there was anyone she would have thought would have a close relationship with the little girl it would have been Abby, but the Goth had informed her they had a pretty special relationship despite how clingy Tony got with Kelly.

"Kelly..." Tony drew Kelly's attention from the others so she could focus on him again, "did daddy see that lovely lady with the red hair again?"

"DiNozzo!" Kate scolded him.

Kelly shook her head and drank from her straw. Abby turned towards Tony looking at him, her eyebrows raised.

"Boss man was late this morning." he answered her silent question.

"Gibbs was late?" Tony nodded at her knowingly, giving Kate a taunting look. "It must be a woman."

Kate looked at Abby indignantly, the Goth simply shrugged her shoulders at the other woman, daring her to say otherwise. Kelly looked between all of them, unaware of what they were discussing.

"Something might have happened." Kate looked at McGee to back her up. He simply shrugged his shoulders, he was starting to lean more towards what Abby and Tony had said.

Kate huffed and wanted to say something else but they had already turned their attention to Kelly, who was explaining something rather animatedly.

Their pizza arrived a few minutes later. Kelly sat up straighter trying to see over the table, Tony lifted her so she sat on his lap and placed her plate in front of her next to his. They kept their conversation to a minimal since they didn't have much time until they had to be back at the office. The whole point of going out to lunch was so they could spent some time with Kelly since they couldn't just drop their work to entertain her.

Kelly leaned back against Tony pushing her plate away, she twisted in his firm grip, her eyes already drooping, "Thank you Tony." She leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

He winked at her and finished his last slice of pizza. They all slid out of the booth one by one, Kate followed behind Tony as he fished around in his pocket for his wallet. She took Kelly from him so he could locate the ever eluding piece of leather.

The waitress who had helped them walked past them on her way pack to the kitchen. She stopped behind the counter looking at Tony and Kate. "You have a beautiful daughter."

Kate looked at her bewildered and Tony smiled at her even more. He nodded his head agreeing with the young waitress and pointed between him and Kate, "We're divorced."

"DiNozzo!" Kate lunged forward and slapped the back of Tony's head. Kelly looked at Kate frightened at the woman's sudden out burst.

Tony, taking everything in stride, spun around took Kelly from Kate and held her close pressing a paternal kiss to her head, pretending that he really was the girl's father. The two woman behind the counter stared at them with wide eyes.

Abby and McGee were laughing in the background highly amused with what had just happened. Kate glared at them and growled under her breath, "You're going to pay for this DiNozzo."

* * *

The tapping of a pen or a pencil was the only sound in the deserted bullpen. Jethro checked his watch, they were late and his mind was going crazy with 'what ifs'. He scrubbed his face roughly with both hands. There were silent footsteps close by, drawing his attention. He met the other man's gaze and inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Ducky leaned back against the agent's desk, not before looking under it first. "She's not here Duck. Abby and them took her out for lunch."

"And you didn't join them?" Jethro glared at him tiredly.

"They're bein' more annoyin' than usual."

"Ah, so it has nothing to do with you being late?" Jethro's head snapped up at that, he should have known DiNozzo would blow everything out of proportion.

"What have ya heard Duck?"

"Not to worry Jethro, it's only Anthony being Anthony." Ducky gave Jethro a knowing look. Jethro shook his head and took another sip from his almost cold coffee. He checked the time again.

"I swear, sometimes I think Kelly's more mature than DiNozzo." Ducky laughed with him at the remark.

Ducky went on talking about nothing in particular as they waited for the team to return back from their lunchbreak. Jethro tuned him out nodding only when he thought was appropriate.

Jethro leaned back in his chair, staring out the large windows. His mind was racing with things that bothered him. On many occasions he questioned whether he was doing a good job with raising his little girl, he had no previous experience with raising a child and it was harder than anything he had ever done. She seemed to be coping fine with their situation, so far he had been able to explain to her exactly why she didn't have a mommy like other children. He knew it was only a matter of time before she started asking about her mother more and more.

Sending her to preschool didn't really help him either, it only made it more complex to explain certain things to a three year old. If he were honest with himself he would admit that he was scared. He couldn't call regularly and ask if she was still doing fine, but most of all he dreaded having to drop her off. He knew better than he knew his own name that there would most definitely be tears. The two of them had become inseparable since that first day he held her, and watching her grow up was making it harder for him to let go.

Jethro often wondered if things would have been different if he had married one of the two women he had had a serious relationship with. He had never considered either one of them as the _marrying_ type, but they had given all indication that they were ready for commitment – he had just considered them as nice to have. Kelly had never been herself around either of them and it was probably due to the fact that she could sense he didn't really _like_ either of them all that much.

The thing that drove most women away, who wanted a relationship with him, was his reluctance to explain how he ended up being a single father to a little girl. He was rather skilful in avoiding the subject all together or they would pester him for an answer until he snapped and eventually drove them away.

"Jethro?" Ducky looked at his friend slightly concerned, he met the man's gaze hesitantly, "I said, is everything all right?"

Jethro nodded, trying his best to reassure the old M.E. He could see him raise an eyebrow, not the least bit convinced but willing to leave it at that.

The soft footfalls drew both men's attention to the entrance of the bullpen. Kelly appeared around the corner, her sneakers dragging across the carpeted floor as she walked, she rubbed her eyes tiredly as she shuffled towards her father's desk.

Jethro met her halfway before she collapsed from exhaustion. He swung her up into his arms and she immediately snuggled closer to him, enjoying the familiarity that was her father. He glanced around the room trying to find the person who was responsible for looking after her. He ground his teeth when he couldn't find Tony anywhere near the bullpen. Kelly waved at Ducky, too tired too greet him like she usually did.

Jethro laid the little girl down on the sleeping bag, handing her the grey bear that had stayed behind. He stroked her hair softly, watching her give in to the need to sleep. Grabbing his coat from the bookcase, he covered her so she was at least warm.

He stood slowly, trying to avoid the pain that usually shot through his knees. He groaned softly as he came upright. He turned around and came face to face with the Director. Jethro glared at Ducky for not warning him.

"Special Agent Gibbs can I see you in my office?"

"Sure Director." Jethro slid past Ducky and followed the Director up the stairs.

Tony rushed around the corner near the elevator, frantically searching for something. The other agents grumbled as he pushed past some of them roughly, too panicked to apologise. He saw someone in his boss' chair and he silently prayed it wasn't the man himself. He was relieved to find it wasn't Gibbs but Ducky who was sitting behind the desk, but he still had the case of a missing little girl. Tony ran a hand through his dark hair fisting his hand painfully in his hair. Gibbs was going to kill him.

Tony tapped his foot nervously. He'd only turned around for a few seconds and when he turned back the little curly haired girl had vanished. The fact that Kelly knew how the elevator worked didn't help much, she might have ended up on the wrong floor and the last thing he needed was Gibbs finding his daughter wandering around NCIS Head Quarters. Where was Kate when he needed her?

"Anthony, is there something wrong?" Tony's head snapped to the side, eyeing the doctor.

"Yeah Ducky! Little Gibbs is missing and I can't find her." Ducky nodded sympathetically. He knew first hand how protective Jethro was over his daughter and he was more than sure the young Italian would be seeing him at the end of the day with a concussion.

"Oh my. Where did you last see her?" Ducky asked sounding seriously concerned. Tony threw his arms up in the air, frustrated with the fact that a small child had successfully evaded him.

"She was there and when I turned around she wasn't there any more."

"I suggest you find her before Jethro comes back." Tony nodded and marched to the back elevator. Ducky shook his head, feeling a little guilty for leading the young man on.

"Anthony," Tony turned slowly looking at the doctor expectantly, "Sometimes that which you are looking for is hiding in plain sight."

Tony nodded and turned to head back to the elevator when he suddenly stopped. He turned on his heel slowly, slinking back to the bullpen. He rested an elbow on the partition, raising an eyebrow sceptically. He scratched the back of his neck, analysing the old doctor. Crossing his arms he rocked back on his heels, "You know where she is, don't you?"

Ducky merely pointed at something under Jethro's desk, watching as the young agent in front of him relaxed slowly. He allowed himself to smile at the young agent as an apology.

Tony peaked under his boss' desk and found his culprit fast asleep, clutching her bear tightly in her arms. He shot Ducky a dark look before returning to his desk and pretending like nothing had ever happened.

* * *

Jethro sat across from the Director, drumming his fingers on his knee, waiting for Leon Vance to finish with the phone call. He'd known the man for as long as he'd been with NCIS, and despite the fact that they bumped heads on occasion, he knew Leon would back him no matter what. Jethro's brows knitted together as the other voice shouted in Hebrew. He raised his eyebrows in mild curiousness as Leon rolled his eyes and ran a hand across his face tiredly.

Leon slammed the phone down, shaking his head at his caller. He looked between the two open files on his desk, wondering why he had ever agreed to a liaison between NCIS and Mossad. He looked at the agent across from him. It would be a first for NCIS and most probably a first in the Federal Agencies history that a woman would be a team leader, but he doubted that. He didn't care about the other directors' opinions, the woman was a good investigator and her partner was a valuable asset.

"You call me in here for a reason Leon?"

"I suppose you've noticed the bullpen next to yours being upgraded." Jethro nodded, his gut clenched unexpectedly and he knew he was about to find out why he'd been feeling so uncomfortable the whole day.

"A new team is transferring back from overseas. A two man team, like you and Mike Franks." Leon scribbled his signature on both the files as he spoke.

"What you tryin' to say Leon? That me and my team can't do our jobs." Jethro asked gruffly.

"No Gibbs. We can do with the extra man power, it gives us an opportunity to keep some of out cases instead of having to hand them over to the FBI."

"What's this got to do with me? You're the director." Silence followed, both men glaring at each other.

"Agent Todd seems to have fitted right in with you and you're team. I hope you'll be as kind to our new agents."

"I wasn't bein' kind Leon," Jethro growled softly, "she's a damn good agent." he was puzzled with his boss' quick change of subject and something told him that the man was apprehensive in telling him the real reason for wanting to see him

"I know..." Leon was cut off by his phone ringing once again. Jethro stood, pushing his chair back rather violently.

"I've got work to do. I haven't got the time to play your welcoming committee." Jethro spun on his heel and strolled out the door, slamming it shut in his usual fashion.

Leon shook his head, laughing. Despite having a woman on his team, Leon doubted Jethro would be very approving of having a woman as a team leader. It was one trait of Mike Franks that had rubbed of his probie, both men were chauvinists. Leon pulled a toothpick from his jacket pocket, chewing on it. He'd leave the two team leaders to meet each other tomorrow, there was no point in having a storm a day before it was due.

* * *

Kelly was leaning against Tony tiredly, she'd woken up the moment the office started buzzing with activity again. She talked to her bear softly murmuring as she watched other agents move around the large office, shying away each time one of them happened to make eye contact. She rubbed her eyes, trying to rub away the sleep. Tony bounced his knee gently, making the little girl giggle as she bounced up and down.

Kelly started sliding off of Tony's knee, bored that he didn't have something interesting on his desk, he ruffled her hair as she stood next to him.

Tony watched Kelly from the corner of his eye as she clutched her bear close and started opening his desk drawers one by one. He made sure he had locked his top drawer, with his service weapon, before leaving the little girl to explore. He couldn't even remember what was in each drawer, he hadn't gone through them in a while, maybe she'd find the sunglasses he'd misplaced a few months ago.

Kelly opened the second drawer, finding a pair of stinky socks and a whole collection of empty snack wrappers. Closing it she moved on to the next one, finding only papers she moved to the last drawer. Her attention was drawn to the catwalk as a door slammed, ignoring it, she continued going through the drawers.

She dropped her grey bear on the floor as she spotted the glossy magazines that she found in the drawer. Taking the first one clumsily out of the drawer, she dropped it on the floor and closed the drawer again. Grabbing both the bear and magazine she tried to climb on to Tony's lap again. He picked her up effortlessly and went back to his paperwork.

Kelly stared at the magazine, drawn in by its bright colours, her tiny brows knitted together as she looked at the person on the cover.

"Tony, why is lady no weawing clothes?"

Both Kate and McGee's heads lifted from their work at the strange question, they looked at each other before turning their attention to a rather pale Tony and curious Kelly.

Kelly stared up at DiNozzo, her blue eyes burning a whole in the side of his head as she waited for his answer. Tony cleared his throat and tugged at his shirt collar, he could feel his ears burning as everyone watched him and the little girl. Today just wasn't his day, first he lost her and now he unwittingly let her find his stash of _GSM_ magazines.

Tony's mouth opened and closed a few times, trying his best to think of the most decent way to explain it to her, he grit his teeth. He looked at Kate and she gave him a slightly amused look, but he could see she was going to rip him apart if he said the wrong thing. He didn't even bother to look at McGee, he usually avoided awkward situations as best he could. Tony blew air out his nose before taking a deep breath to explain.

"DiNozzo!" Tony squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw as the loud growl reverberated from behind him. He felt his head fly forward followed by a painful throb. He was definitely going to have see Ducky before going home and taking at least a handful of painkillers.

Jethro lifted Kelly over the desk and held her close to him, turning so she couldn't see the magazine any more. He glared at Tony, "Put it away DiNozzo." Jethro growled again before marching to his desk and sitting in his chair, he was too stunned to actually do more than that.

Tony quickly chucked the magazine back in the drawer, "Boss, I swear I didn't know they were there… Kelly was going through my drawers and –"

"Shut it DiNozzo." Tony stopped talking and turned back to his monitor, not before glaring at a snickering Kate.

Jethro placed Kelly on his desk, glaring at her much softer than he did at Tony. "Kelly, what have I told you about going through peoples things?"

Kelly's eyes widened at the tone of voice her father was using, she knew that she was in trouble, "No do, it's not nice."

Jethro nodded pleased that she realised she wasn't supposed to go through Tony's things. He lifted her off his desk and let her settle in his lap, pressing a protective kiss to her head. He knew that she was as much at fault as Tony, he also had enough common sense to realise that Tony would have prevented the incident if he had remembered about the magazines. At least the woman wasn't as exposed as he had feared, and what Kelly referred to as naked had turned out to be a woman only wearing underwear, but it was all too much too soon.

"DiNozzo… Don't let it happen again."

Tony nodded and returned to his work. Jethro shifted Kelly in his lap and set about doing some of his own paperwork. He silently prayed that the little girl didn't tell Joann about the magazine.

* * *

The television was turned down just enough, so Jethro could listen to his daughter when she spoke, and so he was aware of his surroundings. He squinted in the dim light trying to see the little line on the stupid name tag. He was more than certain that his inability to see the line had to do with the light and not the fact that his eye sight was getting weaker.

He flattened the little piece of cloth and scribbled Kelly's name on the non-existing line. He folded the jacket and placed it on the pile of clothes. Grabbing the next article of clothing he found the tag and scribbled Kelly's name once again.

He glared at the pile of clothes on the chair, the last thing he wanted to do was write his daughter's name on every piece of clothing she owned. He'd much rather replace her lost jacket or pair of shoes than having to write her name on everything, but then he had realised that he might end up spending more on clothes than he did on food. He scribbled her name and folded the last of her t-shirts, he looked at the pile of clothing deciding to put it away later.

Kelly crawled towards him and snuggled into his side, he wrapped an arm around her and hugged her close. He watched her as she paid close attention to the cartoon playing. She was frowning as she concentrated on the story, her lips pursed slightly. Jethro felt a sudden wave of nostalgia as he realised that the days of her being a baby and fully dependant on him was long since behind them.

Sometimes she reminded him of Shannon so much it hurt, she'd pull her face a certain way and he usually had to take a moment to fight against the onslaught of emotions – it was why he had taken down the pictures of Shannon on the mantelpiece, the reminder was just too painful. He more often than not wondered if there were things his wife would have wanted different. The one thing he knew she would have disapproved of, was taking their daughter down to the basement and only coming back up when she was too tired to walk straight. Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind he kissed Kelly's temple before standing and heading to the kitchen.

Jethro carried the high-chair to the dining room table followed by a plate and a small bowl. He called Kelly as he came back with their dinner, asking her to switch off the television on her way.

Kelly skipped into the dining room, still a little giddy from all the sugar Tony had fed her during the day without the others knowing, except for her father. She stopped next to her father and looked up at him, her nose wrinkled in disgust. She pulled on his jeans roughly to get his attention and gave him an almost pained look.

It usually caught Jethro off guard just how expressive his daughter's face could be at times, "What's wrong Kelly?"

The little girl folded her arms and looked at the high-chair. Pointing a chubby finger at the chair she shook her head, "I don't like to sit in that."

Jethro knelt next to the little girl, her arms were still folded across her chest. He tried to think of the best way to handle the situation without setting off a temper tantrum. It was probably his darkest hour of parenting, trying to handle a difficult two year old over the last year, but he'd noticed the tantrums became less as she slowly learned how to express herself more clearly.

"Kelly why don't you like the chair?" Jethro asked calmly.

"Nana let me sit in big seat." Kelly looked at him, both of her little eyebrows raised, trying to be as serious and convincing as possible. Jethro felt his resolve slip slowly and he couldn't help but give in.

"Okay, but you sit still I don't want you falling okay?" Kelly nodded solemnly at her father's request. Kelly pulled out her chair and climbed onto it, scooting forward so she could be closer.

Jethro grabbed a pillow from the couch for Kelly to sit on so she wouldn't be eye level with the table top but a little higher. He pushed her chair closer to his before taking his place next to her, resting one arm on the back of her chair so he could prevent her from falling off, they both started eating their pasta in silence.

Jethro shoved the last mouthful of pasta into his mouth and waited patiently for Kelly to finish hers. He stared at the high-chair that sat across from them. He'd moved the thing between the kitchen and the dinning room from the moment Kelly could sit properly to about ten minutes ago. He had noticed that getting Kelly into the chair had become increasingly difficult the last few months, unaware that she was actually out growing the thing.

"Done!" Kelly cried happily looking up at her father. He looked at her almost bewildered at the amount of pasta sauce that covered her face, he smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her hair.

Jethro cleared the table quickly and did the dishes while Kelly picked up all her toys. The living room was a mess of headless _Barbie_ dolls and a few _My little pony_ toys. He rarely cared about the toys that decorated the living room but he had to give Kelly something to keep her busy and prevent her from falling asleep before her bath.

Kelly walked into the kitchen, her feet dragging across the wooden floor, she rubbed her eyes tiredly. She made her way towards her father and leaned against his leg, sighing tiredly. He ruffled her hair and continued to wash the dishes.

Jethro felt the weight against his leg become heavier as Kelly leaned against him more. Wiping his hands on a dish towel he picked her up and she settled her on his hip, her head resting against his shoulder. He had to get her in the tub before she passed out.

The night light created a soft glow, warming the room enough to make it appear calm and relaxing, a far cry from the bouncing three year old barrelling into her room. Jethro trudged in behind her, his t-shirt wet from all the water Kelly had splashed around in the tub. He scolded her when she jumped onto her bed, almost falling off on the other side.

He had hoped the warm bath and large amount of bubbles would calm the little girl even more so he could get away without having to read a bed time story, but it had the opposite effect. He grabbed the book they had been reading from and settled next to Kelly on her bed. Leaning back against the headboard he waited for her to get comfortable against his side before he flipped the large book open. Kelly snuggled into his side, resting her head against his chest.

"Daddy?" Jethro could hear the hesitation in his daughter's voice as she mumbled into his side.

"Yeah honey?"

"Why Tony's lady have no clothes?" The blood drained from Jethro's cheeks. He should have known she wouldn't forget about it that easily. He met his daughter's inquisitive blue eyes, it were situations like these he wished Shannon could explain to Kelly.

For the first time in a really long while Jethro Gibbs was at a loss for words, despite the fact that he didn't say much in general. Running a hand through his greying hair, he cursed Tony where ever he was, because he should be answering these questions. He also wouldn't mind watching the agent squirm to find an age appropriate answer.

"Her parents don't love her." It was the only thing he could think to say that would sound reasonable to the three year old.

There had been a time, before Kelly even before Shannon, where he'd had his fair share of gentleman's magazines. Back then he hadn't thought much of the women he found in the centrefolds, they had been pretty and he had been a teenager. Now his views had changed, he had his own daughter and the thought of her making the same career choices as these women terrified him beyond belief.

Taking Kelly's silence that she accepted his explanation, he found the next story in the fairytale book and started reading. Hoping that Kelly wouldn't ask her grandmother the same question tomorrow.

The crickets sang in the late night air, driving anyone still awake insane. A soft gust of wind blew through the trees, causing their shadows to dance against the cream painted walls. The room was dark and almost cold despite the early spring air.

Jethro watched the shadows on his bedroom wall as they danced in the moonlight. He winced at the cramp like pain in his stomach. He was starting to doubt whether it was his gut bothering him or if Kelly had somehow managed to pass her stomach bug on to him despite the fact that he never got sick.

The pain in his gut had gotten worse after he had been in Leon's office. He sensed that the other man was hiding something, if his sudden change in topic had been anything to go by. He was particularly vague on the new team joining them, and when had mentioned Kate fitting in well with his team he had the strange feeling that the two topics were somehow connected.

He didn't feel a sense of danger, more something inching towards trouble. Not the type one usually worried about, but the sort that meant his life would get a whole lot more difficult.

* * *

NCIS Head Quarters was as quiet as any other federal agency at almost elven at night. A few agents were still at their desks, either finishing up on paperwork or working the night shift, few were in MTAC over seeing an Op. Apart from them the building was otherwise empty and deafeningly quiet. No-one even paid attention when the elevator dinged loudly and the silver doors slid open.

The first thing Jenny Shepard noticed as the doors slid open were the bright orange walls. A colour she generally associated with a daycare centre. The recent budget cuts must have been worse than she thought if they couldn't pick a more decent colour to paint on the walls. Slipping through the silver doors before they closed, she made her way towards the stairs that led to the catwalk, the clicking of her heels muffled by the carpet.

Climbing the stairs to the top, she looked down over the large office space. Flicking her eyes over the various cubicles, she suddenly met a young man's curious gaze, he hadn't been there when she walked past that particular cubicle. She nodded her head in kind and he flashed her a rather charming smile as he leaned back in his chair. She raised a perfect eyebrow and gave him a sultry smirk before turning on her heal and heading towards the director's office.

She knocked on the cool metal door softly, waiting for someone to answer. The door swung open, the hinges squeaking, revealing a rather agitated agency director. He stepped aside and motioned for her to come in and sit in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk.

Leon made his way to the liquor cabinet in the far corner of his office. He poured two tumblers full of scotch, being more generous than usual with the amber liquid, he took them back to his desk offering one to the woman across from him.

"It's nice to see you're still in one piece Agent Shepard."

Taking a drink from the full tumbler she licked her lips, "It's Jenny," she gave a slight smile, "and it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

Leon gave her an incredulous look, this woman was tougher than he thought. "You hardly survived in Prague a year ago. I thought we'd lost you for sure."

"It would have been a minor casualty if you did." Leon sat back in the comfortable leather chair, taking a long drink from his scotch, his dark brown eyes studied the woman across from him intently, it wasn't the type of reply he had expected and he assumed more had happened than what he had read in the mission report. A brief silence had settled between them.

"Why the sudden change?" Jenny met the director's gaze. She had expected the question sooner or later, it was a big jump from undercover operations to investigating crime. She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as an answer, knowing Leon wouldn't prod too much in her motivation to suddenly investigate crimes.

"I hope you'll consider doing undercover ops again." He meant it, he hadn't had this many successful Ops since Jenny had joined NCIS three years ago. He did however think it was a good idea for her to lay low for a year since they'd had too many close calls the last few months, and he was starting to suspect someone was leaking information.

"I had hoped Officer David could have joined us, but since Eli has been difficult and has delayed her, I might as well have this meeting tomorrow. I'd also like you to meet the MCRT team leader."

"I'll be here early." Jenny stood and drank the last of her scotch.

Leon walked with her to the door and opened it, "I have to warn you Jenny, he's a real pain in the ass sometimes."

Jenny laughed softly and shook the director's offered hand. "Come on Leon. He can't be that bad."

* * *

 _Please review, I'd like to know what you think :)_


	5. You, Me and a Redhead

_**Disclaimer :** They refuse to let me have them, so I own nothing._

 _ **A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it always makes my day. I know there hasn't been a lot of JIBBS in this story, but after this it will change, I promise. Updates will take a little longer after this one. As you can see they're increasing in length and I'm starting mock exams next month. I'll write as much as possible and update as soon as I have the chance._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

The sky was dull and grey, creating a gloomy atmosphere, a horrible start to a somewhat stressful day. The world seemed darker than usual and everything appeared to be cold. Jethro grit his teeth painfully as he crawled through traffic at a snails pace. The radio was turned down so he could pay close attention to his surroundings, much to Kelly's disappointment.

Kelly kicked her feet against the seat in front of her – her red _All Star_ sneakers leaving faint, almost white, marks on the black leather seat. She bobbed her head in time to the music she could barely hear, her dark curly hair flying all over the place. She sang with the song, as well as any three year old could, driving her father slowly but surely insane.

Jethro reached back and grabbed the little girl's feet gently, he looked at her quickly in the rear view mirror and met her gaze. He raised an eyebrow at her and watched her squirm in her car seat. He checked that she was still being held in place by the safety belt before turning his attention back to the traffic. His cheeks were already flushed with frustration and Kelly's singing, although cute at times, was causing him to debate whether he should tell her to stop or turn the radio off.

Slamming the button violently when someone tried to get between him and the car in front, he succeeded in quieting his daughter as well. He gave her a brief glance in the rear view mirror once again, biting back a smile at the rather wide eyed expression she was wearing.

He didn't know if her cheery attitude had to do with the decent amount of sleep she had gotten the previous night, or if she was really that eager to start preschool. He suspected Tony and Abby had greatly encouraged her to actually see it as something enjoyable. He hadn't done much to encourage her if he was honest with himself, it was a big step for the both of them and he couldn't remember school being something that he liked. Her cheerfulness did however put him at ease that there wouldn't be too many tears if any at all.

The traffic light turned green and the traffic moved forward, finally breaking through the major early rush hour they sped towards the preschool. Jethro turned the radio back on and listened as Kelly started humming to the song and started kicking the seat again. He shook his head and smiled.

The rain had let up to a faint drizzle, and made managing the car park a little easier. Jethro found a spot close to the entrance and parked the Dodge, killing the powerful engine. He bit his lower lip, hard. Watching as Kelly sat up in her chair, looking out the car window curiously at the now deserted playground. She snapped back in her chair looking at her father, excitement and uncertainty written all over her face. Unbuckling his seat belt, he buttoned his coat and braved the icy cold weather.

He opened Kelly's door, blocking most of the cold wind, he helped her unbuckle and grabbed her _My little pony_ backpack. He contemplated whether he should carry her or if she'd be okay to walk – it seemed stupid but she usually fought him and wanted to walk everywhere sometimes, and other times she wanted to be carried around. Grabbing her hand gently he ushered her across the slippery parking lot. She gripped his hand tightly, her small nails digging into his skin. He made sure she was still okay before continuing.

They stepped through the door, welcoming the warmth the reception offered. Jethro stomped his boots on the door mat and watched in amusement as Kelly tried to do the same. He ruffled her already frizzy curls and lead her towards the receptionist's desk. The woman behind the desk gave him a sickly sweet smile and stood, looking down at Kelly.

The little girl scrambled to hide behind her father, fisting her hands in his coat. It was then that Jethro had realised that the reality of the situation had finally sunk in. Twisting, he pulled her around him and picked her up, placing her on the counter.

"How may I help you?" The woman asked, still smiling.

"Gibbs, she's startin' today." The woman nodded and looked though her stack of files. Jethro hugged Kelly close to him as she leaned against him. He rubbed her back softly and rested a large palm on her head protectively.

"Here it is, Kelly Gibbs." She opened the file and scanned over the papers quickly. Satisfied that everything was in order she smiled at the father once again, "Everything seems to be in order. If you'll give me a minute I'll just call her teacher."

The lady disappeared leaving Jethro and Kelly alone for a while. He made Kelly sit up, looking at her a little concerned, tucking a stray curl behind her ear he gave her a reassuring smile. She didn't smile back at him and it bothered him more than it should. He was more than willing to drop everything and take her back to her grandmother's and wait until she was a little older before she started. For the first time Jethro noticed the muted noise coming from various classrooms, alerting him there were other kids.

The receptionist returned with a brunet woman in-tow. Jethro lifted Kelly off the counter and placed her on the floor. She looked up at him, her cobalt blue eyes begging him not to let her go.

"I'm miss Evelyn Grisham," the woman smiled warmly at both father and daughter and knelt in front of Kelly, "and you must be Kelly Gibbs."

Kelly looked at Evelyn then up at her father, unsure whether she could talk to the woman. Jethro nodded at her, indicating that she should answer.

"Yes." Kelly mumbled shyly, moving closer to her father again, holding onto him as tightly as she could.

Evelyn smiled at the beautiful little girl before standing and meeting an identical pair of blue eyes. She could see the hesitation and conflict that clouded his mind, a look that accompanied a lot of first-time parents sometimes. "Do you want to wait for your wife –"

"No, it's just me." Jethro answered quickly and gruffly.

They followed behind Evelyn, down a hallway with different coloured doors. With each step Jethro could feel Kelly tense more and more, much like himself. They stopped near a bright green door, and Jethro felt his heart beat a little faster.

He dropped down to one knee, looking Kelly right in the eye. She lunged forward wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him a choking hug. He wrapped her in his arms, crushing her against him, squeezing his eyes shut he pressed a kiss to her wild curls. He felt the dampness against his neck – pulling back he cupped Kelly's cheeks tenderly, wiping the tears away with his thumbs.

"Daddy, please no go." Kelly whimpered softly.

"I have to honey, but Nana will pick you up, okay?" Kelly nodded reluctantly, tears rolling down her cheeks even more. Jethro wiped away the tears with his palms and kissed her forehead. "I love you Kelly." He whispered softly and gave her a smile before standing.

Evelyn took Kelly's hand and ushered her through the door, closing it behind them.

Jethro squeezed his eyes shut, running a hand through his cropped hair, he forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat.

The rubber soles of his boots squeaked on the linoleum floor as he headed back to the reception. He checked the time making sure he still had enough time to stop for coffee on his way to the Navy Yard before he had to meet the new team leader.

"Excuse me mister Gibbs?" Jethro stopped as the woman from earlier called his name. He moseyed back to the receptionist's desk, his hands stuffed in his coat pockets.

"Yeah?" The woman opened the folder from earlier and placed a pen on top of the papers.

"Could you please fill in you're wife's details sir and your relationship status? I hadn't noticed they weren't filled in."

Jethro glared at her and picked up the pen. He ticked the right box and slammed the folder shut and roughly placed the pen next to it. He gave her one final glare before turning on his heal and heading towards the exit, leaving the young woman slightly bewildered.

* * *

It was early, too early for him to be at work but here he was, sat behind his desk like any good agent should be. He drummed his fingers on his desk, trying to keep himself busy. He was early because he had been in fear that he might be caught in traffic due to the heavy rain that had suddenly set out over the city, and the last thing he needed was Gibbs calling _him_ out on being late.

Tony yawned loudly, shaking his head to fight off the fatigue. It was just his luck that he had worked late and ended up early in the office anyway. Licking his lips he sat forward, a little hunched over. He looked around his desk for something to do when he spotted one of Kelly's _Troll Dolls_ between some of his stationary. Taking the funny looking doll, he parted its bright pink hair down the middle. He admired his work proudly before placing the doll on top of his computer monitor.

Kate looked at him curiously as he huffed, almost in defeat and slumped in his chair, his lips pursed slightly. She closed the file she was going through, and turned her chair so she was facing him. She waited until Tony met her gaze before giving him a look that told him she was willing to listen.

"Do you think she's okay?" The question was random and strange coming from DiNozzo. Kate looked confused for a minute before she realised who he was talking about.

"Tony, I'm sure she's fine. She seemed very excited yesterday." She tried her best to placate a worrying Tony.

"Well Kate, what if her teacher is one of those mean old ladies!" Tony looked at her, agitated that she didn't seem to understand why he was so worried.

Kate looked at him with wide eyes, concerned for his mental health, she had half expected this kind of reaction from Gibbs and not her playboy co-worker. She understood his point though, they we're all a little anxious to hear how it went this morning, but Tony was being himself and was typically exaggerating the situation to its fullest extent. It didn't stop her from pretending to agree and play with his psyche a bit.

"You know Tony, you might even be right. I mean, who knows what these people do to the kids when their parents drop them off."

Tony had a firm scowl plastered on his features, unimpressed with her decision to toy with him. He had spotted the tell tale quirk of her lips and knew she was going to try and make a fool out of him. He crossed his arms, "Very cute Kate, but it's not funny."

Kate held up her hands in surrender, fighting not to laugh at him. There had been a brief moment where he had hesitated, his olive green eyes flashing with uncertainty, unsure if she was being serious or not. Not willing to give in that easily she tried again, hopefully she'd get him worked up long enough before he realised she was joking.

"I'm sorry Tony you're right." He nodded at her, accepting the apology, "I couldn't help but think that her teacher might be like Trunchbull."

Tony gave her a blank look and she knew she'd lost him. She rolled her eyes at him and shook her head, "You don't know who that is do you?"

Tony smiled at her, knowing that she'd use it as an opportunity to get back at him for all the times he had teased her about not knowing some strange or interesting film trivia. He gave her a hurt look, "I know exactly who he is. He's that guy from..." He was desperately trying to come up with something.

"You don't read much do you?" Kate smirked triumphantly, she'd finally found something to brag about that Tony had no clue of. "Trunchbull is a character in a children's book called _Matilda_ , and it's a she. Lucky for you the movie is being released next month, so if you want, you can join me and Kelly to go see it."

Tony rolled his eyes at her sudden change of voice, he pulled his face at her rather childishly and glowered at her, "I do read Kate."

"Sure you do. As long as there's a woman that's naked." She smirked at him, "Tell me Tony, why are the ladies naked?"

Tony gaped a little, caught off guard by her sudden question, it took him a while to process what she said. His cheeks were a little flushed as embarrassment set in. Kate snickered as he turned his attention to his monitor, staring at the little doll that sat on top of it.

"That was low Kate." Tony hissed at her.

The elevator dinged, Tony straightened up a little as his boss marched towards the bullpen looking particularly grumpy. He felt the worry return, thinking that maybe things hadn't gone over as smoothly with Kelly as they all had hoped.

Jethro stopped at the entrance of the bullpen looking between the two agents, "Where's McGee?"

Both agents turned their attention to the empty desk. Tony met Kate's gaze, silently asking her where he was. She shrugged her shoulders, it wasn't like their Probie to be late twice in a row.

"Don't know Boss. Maybe he's in traffic, cause you know the roads are impossible when it's raining. Which is strange, it's like everyone looses the ability to-" Tony stopped babbling, "Shutting up Boss."

Kate shook her head at her partners nervous chattering, hoping that Gibbs hadn't heard their earlier conversations about the _GSM_ magazines that were still in his bottom drawer.

There was heavy thumping coming from the back elevator before a black blur hurtled around the corner, crashing into Jethro. He stumbled backwards, a little winded from the sudden attack. He registered that it was in fact their forensic scientist almost squeezing the life out of him. Still clutching the coffee he had stopped for on the way, he tapped her back softly hoping she'd let go soon so he could breath.

"Abby..." Jethro choked out.

She took a step back, looking a him critically, a worried expression adorning her pale face, "She's going to be okay Gibbs. Even if she cried, she'll be okay. She probably already made friends and she's forgotten all about you. Not that she'll ever forget you, who can? I mean I won't. Did you cry? It's okay if you did, it doesn't mean your soft-"

"Abby, calm down." Jethro cut off her ranting, tilting his head back he took a sip from the dark brew in his cup. Looking back down he was met with three identically worried looks. "She's fine, cried a little but she's fine."

It was all he was willing to say, there was no sense in having them all distracted by the fact that Kelly hadn't really wanted to go. He met Abby's eyes and could see she wasn't buying his reassurance, he gave her a look indicating that they would talk later.

"See DiNozzo, no mean old ladies." Tony narrowed his eyes at Kate, he'd get her back one way or another. Jethro glared at the Italian.

The tell tale ding of the elevator arriving on the squad room floor went off again. Jethro was already glaring at the silver doors, ready to bite off McGee's head for being late a second time just to scare him a little. The doors slid open slowly.

Her eyes.

It was the first thing he noticed as she stepped through the silver doors. They were large and expressive and surprisingly warm.

Crimson locks cascaded down her back, contrasting greatly with the paleness of her skin. His gaze met her emerald orbs. Her full lips curved into an enticing smile, drawing a lopsided smirk from him and causing his gut to flutter unexpectedly. It had been a while since he had been so drawn to a woman with in seconds like he was to her.

He watched her as she walked past their section and ascended the stairs all the way to the catwalk. She disappeared behind the director's door before he turned his attention back to his gossiping team. Jethro took a drink from the almost empty coffee cup making his way to his desk.

"Who is she?" Abby asked still looking at the catwalk.

"Don't know, but she was here last night as well. Maybe she's from another agency." Tony mumbled through another yawn while he pulled a cold case file from his drawer. Abby and Kate looked at him slightly bemused that he had stayed longer than they had. He shrugged at them before trying to look busy to avoid their already growling boss.

* * *

The heavy door to the director's assistant's office slammed shut behind her. Jenny smiled at the young woman sat behind the large desk, obviously already hard at work since she hardly realised someone had walked in before the door had closed.

Jenny turned to the other woman sat in one of the chairs, "Shalom Ziva."

Ziva met her halfway, "Shalom Jenny." She pressed swift kisses to the woman's cheeks before giving her a tight hug.

"The director will see you now."

An hour slowly ticked into two hours as the director briefed them on their new position. Jenny watched out the corner of her eye as Ziva bounced her knee impatiently, she wasn't use to these kinds of briefings. The most time Ziva had ever spent in a briefing was thirty minutes, Mossad wasn't really known for taking a whole lot of precaution when it came to getting the job done.

Jenny smoothed her hands over her jean clad thighs trying to generate some heat, and wriggled her toes in her stilettos hoping to warm them. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting down the small shiver. She was currently too distracted to note her partner's concerned look. She'd blamed her inability to focus on the man she'd seen coming out of the elevator.

There was just something about him. He wasn't boyishly pretty like most of the men she had been with, but he was with no doubt handsome. He was gruff and rough edged on first glance, but almost a perfect picture of what strength and authority looked like. Despite the fact that men like him usually irritated her – men that thought women didn't belong in a man's world – there was still something about the way he held himself that she had found attractive.

Ziva kicked her chair, drawing her from her musing to listen to what the director was saying. She gave her a small smile and tried to divert her thoughts back to the conversation.

"As I have stated before, I'm sure the other agents would help you if you get stuck." Leon stated firmly looking between the two women in front of him.

"I do not think that would be necessary." Ziva spoke confidently, shooting Jenny a sly look as she still tried to grasp what exactly had been said in the briefing.

Leon grabbed a stack of folders on the edge of his desk, making his way around it, leading them to the doors, "I would still like you to meet the team you'd be working with on occasion, so if you'll follow me." He spoke over his shoulder, trying to move the meeting along quick enough before he had to be in MTAC.

Ziva was hot on his heels, her knapsack slung over her shoulder, following him out of the office. He swallowed a little heavily, he'd heard some scary stories about Ziva David and her eagerness had put him in fear that she'd rather shoot a suspect than interrogate him.

Jenny was slow to react, she'd missed half of what had happened in their meeting. She mentally shook herself, she couldn't afford being distracted like this. This promotion was the stepping stone to bigger success and an opportunity to gather even more intel for what she had originally set out to do. Squaring her shoulders, she walked after the other two, a new sense of determination encouraging her to focus on her perfectly laid out plan.

Jenny quickly caught up with Ziva, walking beside her behind the director. The Israeli gave her a questioning look, picking up on her partner's change. It was more obvious now than when they had first received news they were being promoted to Washington. Jenny had been edgy and had snapped at her more than once, and she wondered if her lack of focus earlier had something to do with them taking the promotion.

There was a hushed silence over the squad room as the two women walked down the stairs trailing behind the director. Most gave them a quick glance, some lingered more than others trying to figure out who they were.

Tony was essentially the first to notice the two women that had arrived in the bullpen. He felt slightly winded at the vision in front of him. She was the exact opposite of what usually got his blood boiling. The slim yet strong form of her body sent his mind racing in all sorts of directions. He tried to desperately undress the cargo pants and black t-shirt, leaving her in nothing in front of him. He licked his lips and met her dark eyes giving her a patent _Anthony DiNozzo_ smile. She rolled her eyes at him, ignoring his rather blatant stare.

Jethro gave his senior agent a warning glare, telling him to behave while the director was around.

"Special Agent Gibbs, I'd like you to meet the new team." Leon stepped to the side, indicating to the two women.

Tony and McGee looked at each other confused for a moment, neither of them had heard anything of a new team joining them. They looked over at Kate who appeared to be more smug than she was allowed to be with the fact that the new team consisted of only women so far. Tony had a brief flash of Kate joining the other team, essentially making it women versus men, but his mind got easily side tracked with that thought

"It is nice to meet you Agent Gibbs, I am Ziva David." Ziva shook his hand confidently. Their eyes meeting, her grip was firm indicating that she was not the least bit intimidated by him.

Jethro watched the Israeli walk towards Kate before turning his attention to the other woman. He swallowed when he met her green eyes – his gut clenching again – she smiled up at him and offered her hand, it felt soft and smooth in his calloused palm as he accepted her greeting, "Jenny Shepard."

Jenny's alto voice washed over him, drawing him to her even more than he already was. He now knew why his gut had been relentless yesterday – this woman could only mean trouble if she wrecked this much havoc in his mind. "Jethro Gibbs," He grumbled in reply, she gave him another smile before the director ushered them to the bullpen adjacent to theirs.

The man was clearly in a hurry to get them settled.

Jethro sat back down, her name running through his mind. Shepard – it seemed so familiar, a name he'd come across before but couldn't place. He could still feel the heat from her palm radiating into his as he had held her hand.

Jenny watched the salt and pepper head disappear behind the partition as he sat back down. What was she doing, allowing this man to consume her thoughts so easily? She couldn't afford this kind of distraction, she assured herself that within a week the attraction would be gone as soon as they started working. She risked another glance at him.

She met those cobalt blue eyes once again. The intensity of his stare caused her to snap her head back to look at the director, missing the small smirk that played on Jethro's lips.

* * *

Tony refrained from shouting at the stupid clock that sat next to his pen holder, Father Time definitely wasn't on his side today. After the excitement that had seemed to flood the agency when the two new agents had arrived was over, everything had gone back to normal – too normal for his taste.

Gibbs hadn't allowed him to move from his desk when he had caught him eyeing both women next door. He had hoped that when lunch time had rolled around Gibbs would call and see how Kelly's day had gone, ultimately distracting Jethro enough so he could just slip to the next bullpen, but he had no such luck. Instead he was forced to watch as Kate led the two women to the elevator all three laughing at something. Further more he was forced to eat an awful salad Palmer had dropped off for him – who ate salads anyway?

To top of his rather disappointing day of not seeing all that much of the new lovely ladies, he had kept worrying about Kelly who was probably having a blast at school. There was no active case to distract him from all the new developments, he had even at one point whined that he'd give anything for a triple homicide, much to Gibbs' annoyance and McGee's shock. He sometimes forgot Timmy was still new to the whole murder thing, despite the fact that had almost been killed by Gibbs for being late once again.

Tony watched as Ziva bid farewell to her boss and sauntered towards the elevator casually. He grabbed his backpack and shot from his chair, "G'night Boss, see ya tomorrow!" He threw over his shoulder slipping through the closing silver doors.

Tony blew air through his nose loudly, giving the woman next to him a charming smile. "Easy first day huh? Don't get use to it. My first day was rough, no one wanted to help me. Luckily for you I wouldn't mind helping out if you get stuck or need a new set of eyes." He talked for the both of them as they rode the elevator down to the garage.

Ziva rolled her eyes at him, unamused with his antics as she stared straight ahead. She watched from the corner of her eye as he ran his eyes over her again, like he had been doing the whole day.

"I take it you're new to the city. But not to fear with Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo as you're personal guide, you'll be getting enough action." Ziva clenched her fists, all the agent's chattiness was starting to annoy her.

"Does he hit you because you are annoying or is it to make him feel better?" Ziva turned towards him, backing him into a corner.

Tony swallowed heavily, office scuttlebutt had supplied him with enough information to fill out the Mossad Officer's personal files. She was: an assassin, a control officer, a skilled black ops agent and now a crime investigator – crazy ninja Mossad chick – for short.

Tony laughed nervously, "Thought it was a sign that I'm doin' a good job."

Ziva was crowding his personal space and starting to scare him a little. She raised a perfect dark eyebrow at him, "I'd hate to see what he does for punishment." She let the statement hang between them.

She stepped even closer to him, almost pressing against him, "As for your offer to see the city..." Ziva flicked her eyes over the Italian, a seductive smile curling her lips, "I can find more than enough action on my own thank you."

The elevator dinged indicating the ride was over and the doors slid open. Ziva gave Tony one last look before she slipped out the doors.

Tony let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. He gave a breathless laugh at what had just happened. He didn't know what he found more sexy; the fact that she had admitted she had no problem picking up men or the way she had handled herself. She was far from the women he usually went for and he decided that it was better to leave it at that – for now.

* * *

The rest of the people slowly started filing out of the squad room one by one. Tim was shutting down his computer and putting away his finished paperwork, he looked up briefly to see if Gibbs was still at his desk. He felt his courage drop to the soles of his shoes when he saw that he was still there.

Tim was still unsure about his spot on the team. Both of his other colleagues had prior experience before joining NCIS. Tony had been a cop in Baltimore and Kate had been with the FBI for a while before deciding to join the Navy. He however was fresh from FLET-C and lacked the experience his co-workers had, but tried to make up for it – as Tony had put it – with his geekyness.

He pulled the backpack over his shoulder and grabbed the black box Ducky had given him to give to Gibbs. He stood still for a second, a little unsure of what to do. He'd been on the receiving end of Gibbs' glares all day and had suffered various insults from Tony, that made him snap at the senior agent, succeeding in keeping him quiet for a few minutes.

Tim stood in front of Gibbs desk, fidgeting with the cuffs of his coat.

"Yes?" Jethro drawled as he saw the young agent come to a stop in front of his desk, he looked at him neutrally.

"I'm sorry I was late boss it won't happen again." McGee spoke hurriedly.

Jethro sighed audibly, "Never apologise McGee…" Jethro glared at the probie mildly.

"I know Boss, won't happen again." He'd heard that rule enough to know it off by heart by now.

"What won't McGee, you bein' late or apologising?"

Tim gave him a confused look, Jethro rolled his eyes and shooed him away.

He stopped in his tracks and dug around in his coat pocket looking for the little box. He pulled the square box from his pocket and presented it to Jethro, holding it under his desk lamp so he could see, "Ducky dropped this off while you were out."

Jethro took the box and stuffed it in his own pocket, giving McGee a quick nod, dismissing him.

Switching off his desk lamp and grabbing his coat from of the bookcase behind him, he pulled it on. He marched towards the exit of the bullpen, spotting the _Troll Doll_ on top of Tony's computer monitor. He back tracked and looked at the thing for a while. Scrawled on the troll's tummy in black ink was the word ' _McBee'_. Jethro snorted in amusement.

Trudging towards the elevator he caught sight of one last lamp still burning. Checking his watch and making sure he still had enough time, he threw caution to the wind and moseyed towards the desk.

She was too distracted by the files scattered around her to notice him approaching her. He stood at the entrance to the bullpen admiring her. He liked the way her hair seemed to be on fire as the light from the desk lamp caught it in just the right way.

"Lurking in the dark is frowned upon by society." She spoke around the pen she was currently chewing on.

Jethro smiled to himself, waltzing to her desk and stopping right in front of her. He watched her write something in neat script on the yellow notepad that was resting underneath some of the files.

"You fittin' in okay?" She dropped her pen and leaned back in her chair looking up at him. She raised an eyebrow at him and gave him, what he thought, was a teasing smile. It was only then that he realised how it must of sounded, like they were in high school. He tried to amend his statement with a firm glare that terrified most people.

Jenny hardly seemed phased by it and continued to look at him with a smile, "Yes, the class bully hasn't picked on me yet, but I'll run to you for help if he does."

Jethro rolled his eyes at her, annoyed that she was making fun of him instead of feeling threatened by him.

"You know, I didn't peg as the caring type." Jenny folded her arms across her chest as she spoke.

"I'm not," Jethro growled through clenched teeth, "was just curious."

"Mmm-hmmm" Jenny raised her eyebrow once again, intrigued by the man across from her, he was more complicated than she thought.

"Well I appreciate the concern but we'll be fine." Jenny pushed some loose strands of hair out of her face as she spoke. She watched as annoyance flickered across his face. It was only the second time she actually spoke to him. He had kept his distance from the moment she had arrived in the bullpen. Jenny sat back in her chair, taking a moment to really look at the man in front of her.

Despite his large coat she had no trouble seeing that he had a large frame, and she was more than sure it was due to the fact that he had been a Marine, if his haircut was anything to go by. His roughened palms were a clear indication that he had worked hard his entire life, and she hadn't missed the slight tingle they had sent up her arm when he had shook her hand.

She had noticed the way he sometimes shrugged his shoulders as if something was irritating him, the same with the few times he had strolled past her on his way out of the office. He had a slight limp, barely perceptible but she had noticed it. She had put it down to the fact that for the last three years she had studied people for a living in order to know them in her line of work. She wasn't fully aware that there was just something about Jethro Gibbs that caught her attention.

Meeting those azure eyes, she felt the heat in her cheeks when she realised that he too had taken the time to study her while she was just staring at him. It pissed her off. This was a man who, in the future, could easily take away her chances of getting her that one promotion she needed to close the deal, and here she was staring at him like she had a crush.

Jethro checked his watch and fisted his hands in his pockets, "If you aren't being bullied I suppose I could leave," Jethro smirked at her, "G'night Agent Shepard."

Jenny bit her lip, trying to hide the smile that threatened to escape as Jethro retreated to the elevator. She gave him a wave as the silver doors slid shut and allowed those cobalt blues to burn into her memory.

He was, oh so very charming, but she couldn't allow his charm to stand in her way.

Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to remember what had happened three years ago. The experience of the pain, that was still so fresh, flooded over her. Suddenly Jethro Gibbs wasn't that charming any more, instead he was an obstacle that she had to deal with, and quickly, in order to get some relief for her pain.

* * *

Joann adjusted her glasses on her nose, trying to see though them. Taking them off she held them up in the air, trying to see what prevented her from seeing the tiny letter in her magazine.

The glasses were littered with tiny oily fingerprints.

Joann made a mental note to keep her glasses out of reach of the owner of those small fingers. Cleaning her glasses and placing them back on her nose she was satisfied when she could see the article she was reading more clearly.

Kelly barrelled into the living room, where her grandmother was sat on one of the expensive leather couches, followed by a tiny yapping dog. She threw herself down on the carpet hiding her face in her arms and trying to fight off the dog who was dead set on licking her face. She giggled and shrieked at the same time as the small Chinese Crested licked her in the ear.

She jumped up and shot across the room. She tripped over her own feet and landed flat on her stomach letting out a soft Oomph! The dog was quick to pounce on her, pressing his cold snout against her neck and ear trying to lick her.

"Arthur stop it." Joann scolded the playful pup before moving to crouch next to her granddaughter.

"Darling are you okay?" Joann asked when Kelly didn't seem to move.

Kelly pushed herself up on her arms and glared at Arthur like it was his fault that she had tripped. She sat on the carpet next to her grandmother, her cheeks red from all her running and laughing. "Nana, Awthuw make me fall." She looked at her grandmother seriously.

"Made not make, and it was your own fault. How many times have your daddy and I told you not to run in the house?" Joann asked Kelly softly.

"Too many." Kelly answered wisely before jumping up and climbing onto the couch, calling Arthur to join her.

Joann hid the smile at Kelly's reply and took her place on the couch once again, now accompanied by a little girl and a dog.

Kelly sang the tune of a song she listened to countless of times when she visited Abby on some weekends. Joann returned to her article, content to listen to Kelly sing.

She was proud of Jethro, a little secret she had kept to herself over the last three years. He had proven her wrong in every accusation she had made against him. She didn't think her granddaughter could be any happier or healthier if she hadn't been with her father. She could always see the joy that danced in Kelly's eyes whenever she looked at her.

The same joy was evident in Jethro's eye when he looked at his daughter, but it soon vanished when she was gone. His eyes would become clouded with worry and something he fought very hard to hide – at first she had thought it was sadness, but she had seen him sad once or twice and it didn't look like the hollow expression he wore these days.

Kelly broke off mid-verse of the song she was singing, Joann looked at her from the corner of her eye. The little girl crawled towards her and settled herself on her grandmother's lap. She took the magazine from her and pointed at the woman on the cover.

"Nana, why Tony's lady no weaw clothes like this lady?" Kelly asked, unaware of how the situation was coming across.

Joann looked at Kelly in shock. She had met _Very_ Special Agent Tony DiNozzo before, he occasionally picked Kelly up on a Friday, and she had actually liked the young man.

She wasn't sure at who she was suppose to direct her anger. She doubted Jethro knew about what she had seen or she hadn't asked him the question, but she was livid with him for allowing his daughter to spend time with such a perverted young man. She felt like she could rip that Italian kid from limb to limb for exposing her granddaughter to such vulgarity.

Kelly looked at her grandmother like it was an ordinary question that demanded a rather straight forward answer.

"Well honey, I think she doesn't have someone who cares about her to teach her some values." Joann answered quickly, "And you should never ever do the things she does."

Kelly nodded her head, agreeing that she wouldn't do as the woman she had seen, "No do, is bad."

"That's my girl." Joann pressed a kiss to Kelly's forehead.

Kelly heard a car door slam outside and smiled up at Joann in excitement. She slid to the floor and scurried towards the front door with Arthur trailing close behind her. She jumped up and down when she heard the scuffing of boots outside the door. Arthur barked next to her, equally excited to see who stepped through the door.

The door swung open, revealing her father.

Jethro held out his arms towards Kelly as she ran towards him as fast as she could. She jumped up and he caught her effortlessly. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight grip and kissed his cheek. Jethro smiled at his daughter and kissed her forehead, pulling his face at her playfully.

Kelly giggled and hugged him again, "I miss you daddy."

"I missed you too honey." Jethro pressed another kiss to her forehead.

Joann came down the hall, carrying Kelly's backpack and her jacket. She eyed Jethro as he stood in the doorway holding his daughter.

"Kelly why don't you go grab your shoes while I talk to Nana?"

Joann waited until Kelly was out of earshot before she ripped Jethro a new one.

"What were you thinking leaving Kelly alone with that perverted agent of yours?!"

Jethro stared at her in horror, "She asked you?" He sounded more disbelieving than ashamed.

"That's beside the point Jethro. The point is that she has been exposed to this, this-"

"Hold it Joann. I was there when it happened."

Joann grit her teeth, she was really starting to contemplate whether to slap Jethro across the face or if she should beat him with the backpack in her hand.

Jethro's eyes widened when he realised what he had said, "It was an accident, DiNozzo isn't that stupid. Besides the woman wasn't naked she wore underwear." He tried to explain, but he was just digging a deeper whole than the one he was in.

"And that's acceptable to you?!" Joann roared at Jethro's explanation.

"Jeez Joann clam down. You think I'd allow my kid to be exposed to that?"

They glared at each other.

"I guess not." Joann said after a brief moment of silence. Realising that they were making a bigger thing of this than was absolutely necessary.

Kelly ran into the foyer with Arthur yapping behind her. She shrieked when he nipped at her heels as she scampered towards her father.

Jethro glared at the puppy, he held his daughter firmly on his hip as the pup barked at his boots. He avoided the dog as best as possible when he was here, it always wanted to sit in his lap and lick him in the face. Kelly giggled as Arthur jumped up against Jethro, barking at her.

"Say bye Kel." Jethro said half distracted from keeping the dog away from him and taking Kelly's things from Joann.

"Bye bye." Kelly waved at her grandmother, her one shoe still firmly clutched in her hand. Jethro threw a quick goodbye over his shoulder already halfway to the car.

The drive home had been strangely quiet, something that had surprised Jethro. He had expected Kelly to talk and never stop but she had been quiet the whole ride home. It was only during dinner, with some coaxing on his part, that she had started telling him of her first day at preschool, it must have been his outburst that morning that had kept her quiet on their way home.

Kelly was wrapped in a thick fluffy towel, sitting on her bed while her father looked around for her pyjamas. She shivered slightly from the cold before starting to swing her legs as she waited patiently for her father, she was soon humming a familiar tune again.

Jethro crawled on the floor looking under the bed for the _My little pony_ pyjamas. He could have sworn he had seen them on her bed when he had rushed after her to get her in the tub. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder to see if Kelly was still okay. He gave up on his search when he saw her shiver from the cold.

Grabbing the set of pink pyjamas that sat on Kelly's dresser he made his way back to the little girl. Kneeling in front of her he quickly helped her into the warm nightwear.

Rubbing her shoulders to warm her a little, he felt something sharp stick into his hip. He pulled the black box from his jean pocket which he had slipped in there when he took off his coat. He opened the box and pulled the delicate yet toddler-proof chain out of the box.

"What is that Daddy?" Kelly asked as she tried to see what her father was holding in his palm.

"This is for school," He said half distracted as he put the bracelet around Kelly's wrist, "So now the teacher knows that you are allergic to peanuts."

Shannon had been allergic to peanuts, something Jethro had found out in the scariest way possible. He was afraid that Kelly might have the same allergy. He had taken her to the doctor as soon as she started eating and had them test her. They had done every test known to man and had found that she was in fact allergic to peanuts. He had asked Ducky to help him order a medical bracelet.

Kelly looked at the bracelet for a while, admiring the pretty pink colour that spelled her name on one side. She looked up at her father and smiled at him. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him tightly.

Jethro hugged her closer to him, cradling her closer to him once she had let go of his neck. He met her blue eyes and smiled at her.

"Daddy, I sleep with you tonight." Kelly snuggled further into her father's warm embrace, giving him another smile.

He didn't mind when Kelly felt like sleeping with him for the night or sometimes the week. It wasn't an everyday occurrence, it only happened when he spent a few days away from her or when she had some sort of clingy phase, and it gave him peace of mind knowing she was safely tucked in next to him.

They were now sat on his bed and he listened intently as Kelly recounted her whole day for the second time. He smiled as Kelly went on about explain everything, this time things were bigger and a little more _creative_ than the first time she told him the story. He didn't really care whether she was giving him hard facts or if she was making up her day as she went along, all that mattered was that she had had a good day.

"So who're your friends?"

"Uh..." Kelly scratched her head, "Maddie and Wose and Chwis and Jake and Kyle."

"Were the other kids nice to you?" It had been his biggest fear that he'd find her in tears and she'd beg him not to send her back to that hell of a place.

Kelly crawled towards him and climbed on top of him, resting her head on his chest right over his heart. She nodded her head at his question before relaxing against him. He felt her fist her hands in his hoodie as she slowly started falling asleep. Wrapping her in his arms he held her tightly against him. The grey bear sat at the edge of the bed staring at him with its glassy eyes.

Jethro sighed and closed his eyes.

"I told you she's be okay." The voice was sweet and calm in the quiet room.

Jethro smiled, his eyes still closed, "If you were here, you would've probably cried." He felt a soft swat to his arm.

Her soft hand slipped behind his head, stroking the short hair at the nape of his neck. The touch was warm like all the other times she visited him. He sighed again. He turned his head towards where he had heard her voice and felt her hand slip to his jaw.

The faintest smell of strawberries and vanilla followed next. Enveloping him in such a way that he thought she was really there.

Jethro forced his eyes to stay shut. It was the only time he could imagine her really being there with them, touching him, soothing him when he was a nervous wreck. It was something he did when he was over stressed, paranoid or home alone while Kelly spent the weekend with one of the team or her grandmother.

"Jethro," her voice was a soft whisper in his ear, her lips just grazing the shell of his ear.

He didn't trust his own voice and opted for grunting to indicate that he was listening. He swallowed hard when she pressed a tender kiss to his cheek.

"You have to let go." She whispered in his ear, once again stroking the hair at he nape of his neck.

"I can't."

* * *

A week of nothing but rain, an entire week. The most rainfall she had experienced in her life had been two day in London, when she had to meet her new partner and transport her back to Israel. Those two days had been more than enough to cure her from wishing it would rain.

Ziva grumbled under her breath as she zipped her newly issued NCIS jacket up to under her chin. Pulling her frizzy ponytail from her collar, she cast a quick glance at her aforementioned partner. She rolled her eyes when she saw that the redhead seemed to be unperturbed by the amount of rain fall. Ziva glanced at the red digital watch on the dashboard, it wasn't even four o'clock yet. She shook her head, who was up this early in the rain?

It was cold and wet and muddy, three elements Ziva David wasn't generally used to and she didn't refrain from expressing her disgust. Jenny could in some way understand the Israeli's displeasure. She herself had become used to the warm and dry climate the Middle East had offered through the whole year she had spent there. Sidestepping a large puddle of water, Jenny pulled her jacket tighter around her and made her way across the clearing to where the bright yellow police tape was.

A young police officer jogged towards them, splashing water as his boots hit the ground, "NCIS!?"

Jenny flashed her badge at the young man indicating between her and Ziva, "Shepard and David!"

The officer lifted the tape and let the two of them pass under it. He walked beside them leading them towards where the victim had been found. "Victim's male, about late twenties maybe early thirties, found his military ID in his wallet." The officer handed Ziva the evidence bag with the ID in it. "He was found by a young woman out for a jog, she's pretty shaken up so we haven't been able to get a statement."

"Thank you Officer, we'll take it from here." Jenny dismissed the officer curtly.

Jenny walked back to where Ziva was standing, looking down at their victim. He was partially covered in mud as he lay on his side. His shirt was stained at the side where he was practically slashed open.

"The chances of getting evidence off him are zero to almost none." Jenny squatted next to the body, holding the ID card next to his face, "Couldn't have been a mugging he still has his wallet and watch."

"So we need to find a motive?" There was only the barest hint of uncertainty in the Israeli's voice. She had spent the week asking Jenny anything and everything about investigating since she had very little experience in doing anything investigative.

"Yeah."

Ziva smiled at herself proudly before setting out and taking pictures of the scene and gathering as much evidence as she could, while Jenny did the measurements and sketches.

Jenny looked over at the squad car the officer from earlier had walked towards. She saw the young woman she assumed who had stumbled upon the body, she seemed calm enough to be able to give a statement, "Ziva, go take the young woman's statement."

The camera flashed one final time. Ziva stood next to Jenny looking at the woman who had once again broken out in tears. She gave her partner a rather pained look, she didn't do very well with others, "If you make me talk to her I will be going back to Tel Aviv." Ziva didn't give any indication that she was joking.

Jenny looked up from her sketch book. She wanted to say something when her attention was drawn to the Dodge that pulled up near theirs. She stood slowly, adjusting her cap and tucking a few tendrils of hair behind her ear.

Jethro slammed the car door loudly and made his way across the clearing, his team trailing behind him. He was already shouting orders at his team, but they seemed as confused as the two women who were already there.

Ziva looked over at Jenny and she could see that the redhead wasn't impressed with the sudden turn of events.

"What are you doing here Gibbs?" Jenny asked tersely as Jethro walked towards her.

"This is my crime scene."

"Excuse me? Your crime scene, Ziva and I were here first, not you." Jenny bit back violently, her green eyes flashing in anger. She now knew why Leon referred to him as a pain in the ass to work with.

"Dispatch called me Shepard. And since we're the Major Case team, I suggest you give this crime scene to us." Jethro growled at the red-headed woman in front of him. He took a step forward crowding her personal space.

"No, they called me." Jenny squared her shoulders, not allowing Jethro's large frame to intimidate her as he crowded her space.

Tony and Kate stood off to the side watching the scene unfold in front of them. Tony couldn't contain the smile that spread over his face. He nudged Kate with his elbow, jostling her slightly, "This is going to be good. Two hot tempered people going at it."

"Why do I have the feeling this is going to turn into something sexual." Kate said, rather amused herself at how the two team leaders snapped at each other.

"I don't have to say anything Kate, you're already thinking it." Kate made a noise of disgust and glared at him, leaving him and making her way to where Ziva was, also entertained by what was happening.

They were all bored sitting around the office doing nothing but paperwork. However when the call came that they finally did have a case, they had all groaned in annoyance. None of them enjoyed working cases in the pouring rain.

"I bet if I were a man you wouldn't have been here." Jenny's voice was slowly increasing in volume, while Jethro's kept going dangerously lower.

Jethro rolled his eyes at her, not seeing how it had anything to do with the fact that he had been called by dispatch in the early hours of the morning. The only reason he had been late was because he had to drop Kelly off at Joann's.

"What part of _'dispatch called me'_ don't you get?!" Jethro shouted at her, his already thin patience snapping.

"Don't you raise your voice at me! I'm not agent DiNozzo you can slap around."

Tony gaped at her. Both Kate and Ziva laughed at him, even McGee laughed softly next to him, earning himself a slap on the back of the head.

Jethro glared at the four agents around them. He grabbed Jenny's arm firmly and dragged her back towards where the two dark sedans stood in the parking lot. She jerked against him but he gripped her arm a little tighter. She glared at the side of his head, extremely pissed off that he was treating her like a disobedient child.

"Let me go Jethro." She ground out between her teeth.

Jethro spun her so she was facing him, he dropped his hand to his side. He stared at her for a while, trying to determine just how angry she was with the way he had treated her in front of everyone. He had quite a bit of experience with red heads and he could see that Jenny certainly was no different.

"This isn't about whether you're male or female." Jethro folded his arms before continuing, "My team's got more experience, you've only been here a week."

"And that makes us incompetent?"

Jethro glared at the woman in front of him, she was dead set on making this more difficult than it actually was. He didn't really care whether she had prior experience or not, the fact was he had been called to the crime scene at the crack of dawn, and he was mere moments away from snapping someone's neck if he didn't get something to do soon. He had to admit, he admired the redheads will to fight him, something he found that he actually liked about her. She wasn't afraid of getting her hands dirty and she clearly didn't find him intimidating.

"You're a real bastard you know that?" Jenny snapped at Jethro once again, extremely irritated that he didn't answer her question, her anger simmered when he had the audacity to smirk at her arrogantly.

"That's what the second 'b' is for."

The sky was a pink hue around them, the sun just making itself known as it rose over the horizon, in any other situation it would have been beautiful. Jenny's face had flushed with anger, her eyes flashing as she glared up at Jethro. She wasn't willing to give him the upper hand on this case. She and Ziva had arrived first and she wasn't going to boost his ego even more by giving him the case. She was now even more determined to bruise his precious ego by fighting him tooth and nail.

"If you're too much of a chauvinist to hand the case to us, I guess we'll just have to go to the Director." With an air of finality Jenny turned on her heel and started marching back to the crimes scene.

"First day in the field and already you're running to the Director?"

Jethro bit his tongue when he saw her stop and her whole body go rigid. He waited for the inevitable fit that would follow, but she ignored him. It was due to the offhand remarks, like the one he just made, that he usually found himself in trouble with the Press.

* * *

Leon had heard the two raised voices as they exited the elevator up until the moment they both had stormed through his office door. His secretary had stormed in behind them, looking harassed. He suspected she'd pretty soon be asking him for danger pay if the two-year-old-temper-tantrums were to continue in the future between his two lead investigators. He wasn't the least bit surprised that they were already in his office insulting and snapping at each other, both of them were a force to be reckoned with.

"Yes I understand, goodbye mister Secretary." Leon calmly placed the phone back in its cradle.

The two agents had quieted down some, both glaring at something in the distance. Leon fished for a toothpick in his jacket pocket, he quickly found the trusted pieced of wood. Peeling back the plastic he popped it in his mouth, looking between the two agents.

"I take it this is about the new case." It was more a statement than a question. He'd heard the story long before he even arrived in his office.

" _My_ new case Director." Jenny practically growled, all the while looking in Jethro's direction.

She could see Jethro roll his eyes at her as she spoke, she turned her rather murderous look on him, daring him to say something. She watched his fists ball tightly, his nails no doubt leaving crescent marks on his palms. She had actually started liking him over the last few days, although he never said much she could deduct from the few remark that he had made, about a certain Senior Field Agent, that they could probably get along just fine if they didn't step on each others toes.

"Your case? It's my case, dispatch called me!" Jethro snapped, finally fed up with the stubborn redhead next to him. He turned his body towards her and took a step closer, crowding her once again. He was so close to her that he could smell her perfume and identify it as something very expensive. She was considerably shorter than him despite the incredibly high heels she was wearing. It was only now that he had noticed the heels, she had been wearing combat boots when he had cornered her at the crime scene.

"They called me first and I was there first, so technically this is my case so you can back off." Emerald eyes met cobalt. The electricity between the two people was enough to make any ones hair stand on end.

Leon sat back in his chair, looking at the two agents, amusement swimming in his dark eyes. He couldn't really see why they had to make a big deal about a simple misunderstanding. He had the distinct feeling that it was more about the two of them staking their territory, than it really was about actually solving the case.

"I don't see what the problem is agent Gibbs. Agent Shepard is more than capable of lead this investigation and if she needs more man power your team would be available to help."

"What?!" Jethro had gone from somewhat controlled to his cheeks being flushed and his body tensing with anger.

Jenny bit her lip to hide the Cheshire-like grin. She was both excited and nervous in starting the case, but what caused her heart to beat the most was the man next to her. His sudden out burst of anger had excited her, his determination attracting her even more. She had liked the way his eyes had flashed when he had glanced at her. She bit her tongue, drawing herself back to reality, briefly reminding herself that she didn't have time for some form of attraction towards him, towards anyone.

"Watch yourself agent Gibbs." Leon warned the older agent tensely, "This will be a great opportunity for agent Shepard to learn the ropes. There for your team will assist, and assist only, if they need help. If you interfere you'll be suspended, do you understand agent Gibbs?"

Jethro grit his teeth painfully, his pulse pounding in his ears. There was no point in saying anything to get the case. He barely heard the mumbled ' _we won't need help'_ coming from Jenny.

Turning on his heel he stormed out the office, slamming the door behind him like he usually did. He hardly gave the irritated assistant a second glance as he marched on to the catwalk. He leaned against the railing looking out over the large squad room. He could see his team members annoying each other just so they had something to do.

The door behind him opened and closed followed by the muffled clicking of heels. He could feel her presence immediately as she stepped through the door, all too aware of the fact that he really liked this woman, despite wanting to strangle her at that very moment.

She leaned on the railing as well, right next to him, their shoulders almost touching. She sighed softly before straightening again.

"I get it Gibbs. If I were you I'd be upset too." Jenny murmured next to him.

"The word's pissed okay." He growled at her, his blood still boiling.

"Bloody hell Gibbs. This a _lpha male_ thing is getting old. We got the case and you're pissed. I'm sorry that we were there first, but just so you know to me it's not about who's got more experience. It's about getting the job done, to find the person responsible for causing a family so much pain and potentially ripping them apart."

There was a certain fire in her eyes as she spoke, something stronger than determination. Jethro searched her eyes as she looked up at him. Her emerald pools were clouded with something as she spoke, like she was speaking from experience. He quickly realised that he didn't like it when her eyes weren't warm and inviting like that first day.

Jenny felt the all too familiar pain tighten around her heart. She wanted to get back to her desk to hear what Ziva had found so far, anything to get them closer to what happened. She took a step towards the stairs, but stopped as Jethro stepped in front of her. He was close once again, so close that she could smell something rather unique, so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Never apologise, it's a sign of weakness." He said huskily as she stood close to him.

Jenny grinned up at him, licking her lips, "Sure thing Duke." She winked at him and continued to make her way towards the stairs.

Jethro grit his teeth as she walked down the stairs, her sinful red lips curled in a smug smile as she made eye contact with him for the last time.

Pushing away from the railing he made his own way down the stairs. He could hear Tony and Kate exchanging words as he rounded the corner of the bullpen. He stopped between their two desks glaring between the two of them.

"Hey boss, what did the director say? Are we handling the case?" Tony secretly hoped his boss was going to say yes, he was moments away from dying from boredom. Even teasing McGee wasn't fun any more since he didn't give the response Tony wanted.

"No." Gibbs' answer was clipped and almost spat at the young agent as he stormed to his desk. Tony could hear Kate groan and even McGee seemed disappointed that they were still stuck in the office.

Tony watched his boss slam his top drawer shut before slouching in his chair. He watched the older man discreetly look over the blue divider, watching the redhead next door. He smiled to himself.

It was clear to everyone, except maybe his conservative co-workers, that their boss had a thing for the woman next door and he was more than sure she liked him too. He'd caught him checking her out more than once.

It was Tony's turn to stare at a woman on the other side of the divider. Her dark hair hung around her shoulders, the curls more wild than usual since they had been released from the tight ponytail. He watched her walk around the partition, marching confidently towards Gibbs' desk.

All three team members watched as Jethro purposely ignore the Israeli that stood in front of his desk.

Ziva pursed her lips and continued glaring at the greying agent behind his desk. She wasn't use to people not being intimidated by her. "Special Agent Gibbs." She finally snapped after she realised he wasn't going to pay attention to her.

Jethro slowly lifted his head, a firm scowl set on his features. He took in the agitated woman in front of him, pleased that he was at least upsetting someone today.

"What Officer David?"

"May Agent Todd accompany me around the city, I do not know the city as well as I would like."

Jethro glared at the red head of hair that stood in the other bullpen. He should have known she'd be using his team just to piss him off even more, "No."

Jethro could hear Jenny clear her throat behind him. He rolled his eyes at her. He rolled his neck from side to side before facing the woman in front of him again. His features darkened when he saw Ziva trying to hide the smile that caused the corners of her lips to twitch slightly.

"DiNozzo," Tony shot out of his chair, almost jogging to his boss' desk when he called him.

Jethro saw Ziva's shoulders sag when she realised she'd be spending her day with the babbling Italian, "Show miss David around town."

Tony looked at the woman next to him, he gave her an attractive smile before scurrying back to his desk and quickly grabbing his backpack and jacket. He met Kate's eyes and couldn't refrain from rubbing in the fact that he was accompanying Ziva around town instead of her. He could see she was about to make a snide remark when Ziva stormed past him.

"One word Tony and I will show you what I can do with a paperclip." Ziva growled as she headed towards the elevator with Tony behind her.

Jenny cringed when she heard the young agent yelp as the elevator doors closed. If DiNozzo didn't keep his mouth shut Gibbs would have his own investigation by the end of the day. She shook her head and continued with the notes she had taken at the crime scene.

She heard him before she saw him, his heavy footsteps came around the corner and stopped right in front of her desk. She bit her lip, she was more motivated to tick him off than she had been in the beginning.

Looking up from her notes, she met those cobalt eyes as they glared down at her. She had realised in the last few hours that she actually liked it when he glared at her. She could see the determination and passion burning in his irises, making him even more attractive and that more intriguing.

"You get lost on your way to the men's room?" She asked sarcastically when he didn't elaborate for the rather hostile visit.

"You think this is a game Shepard? Using my team anyway you like, they're my people not yours." Jethro ground out between his teeth, keeping his voice low to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

Jenny chewed the back of her pen as Gibbs ranted on about his team. She pursed her lips and stood up, making her way around her desk so she could stand toe to toe with him. She raised her eyes to his, scowling much like he was. She poked Jethro in the chest with a manicured nail.

"If I had known you'd be such a girl about it, I would never have told Ziva to ask for help." Jenny poked him in the chest once again just for good measure.

Jethro grabbed her wrist, wrapping his fingers around it, "Don't poke me." He tightened his grip on her wrist when she tried to pull away. She huffed in annoyance when she couldn't get him to loosen his grip.

"All you had to do was ask me first." He whispered into her ear as he let go of her.

Jenny hid the shiver that ran through her body as he whispered in her ear. She wondered if it was to intimidate her, because it was having the opposite effect. She watched him head back to his bullpen. They looked at each other one last time and she could see something that she was trying her best to fight.

* * *

It was dark and the building was almost completely deserted, except for two desk lamps still burning. The rain had stopped a few hours ago, after a week and almost the whole weekend of nothing but constant depressing rain, leaving the building in almost complete silence. There was the occasional turn of a page or a click of a pen, usually made by Jenny herself or the other person still in the office, but he had left a good twenty minutes ago and still wasn't back.

Jenny blinked a few times, trying to stop the letters on the paper from blurring each time she looked at it for too long. She uncrossed her legs to allow some blood to circulate all the way to her feet. She reached for the Styrofoam coffee cup on her desk. She tilted the cup back and readied herself for a strong yet somewhat sweet taste of the coffee she had been drinking.

She chucked the cup into the trash can, there was nothing left in it. She sighed in disappointment, there was no coffee shop she knew to be open at eleven at night. Closing the brown manila file, she placed it on the neat stack of files that were waiting to be sent to the director's office. Their fist case had been solved and she couldn't help but feel proud.

Making sure there was in fact no one around, she pulled a similar file from her bottom desk drawer. There were no markings on it, but it was thick with various papers sticking from it. She opened the file slowly.

It was risky having the file at work, but it was the only place she could continue with her own secret investigation by having access to the right sources. She looked at the photo stapled to the first page.

She stared back at eyes that were so similar to hers, her heart thudded painfully as she took in the man in the photo. He was so proud. Proud of serving his country, proud of the fact that he was protecting the people who hardly even knew him.

Jasper Shepard stared back at his daughter, the barest hint of a smile playing at his lips. It wasn't evident in the photo, but the his grey hair had once been as red as his daughter's. Jenny ran her thumb over the small photo before skipping to the part she always read.

 _Colonel Jasper Shepard was found in his personal study at his Georgetown house. The victim appears to have committed suicide with his own service weapon issued to him by the United States Army. After further investigation into his death, it was ruled a suicide._

The elevator dinged. Jenny slammed the file shut and quickly placed it back in the bottom drawer of her desk. She pulled a random file towards her and opened it so she appeared to be busy. Her heart was pounding in her ears at the sudden arrival of someone. She doubted it was Gibbs who had returned, he might have left for the night and had forgotten to turn off his desk lamp.

A tall white Styrofoam cup appeared in front of her, the smell immediately attacked her senses. It smelled stronger than the coffee she usually drank but she was thankful to whoever it was who had delivered it.

It was hard to see who was on the other side of her desk with the rest of the room practically shrouded in darkness. Taking the warm cup in her hands she leaned back in her chair and tried to see who stood in the shadow her desk lamp was creating behind it.

Light blue eyes looked down at her, amusement clearly evident in them.

She was torn between glaring at him or allowing herself to give him a thankful grin. The last few days had worn her patience down to almost nothing, she had learned exactly what he and other had meant when they said the second 'b' was for bastard.

She took a sip from the tall cup. The bitterness of the liquid surprised her, she struggled to swallow it instead of spitting it, "What is this swill?"

Jethro gave her a rare smile. He grabbed the chair behind Ziva's desk and rolled it to where he could sit across from Jenny. He took a long drink from his own cup, savouring the taste. He rested one elbow on Jenny's desk staring at her.

"You could just say thank you." He mumbled around his cup.

"Thank you Gibbs." She said softly, taking another drink from her cup. This time she was prepared for the strong taste and the bitterness it presented. She took in the strong aroma and found that it was actually familiar, although she had come to associate it with something completely different than a coffee cup.

Jethro Gibbs, he smelled like strong bitter black coffee, and occasionally something else.

After her third sip she was slowly starting to get use to the taste of the coffee. There was silence between them, neither wanting to say something that would ruin the brief moment of peace between them.

"You find him yet?"

Jenny looked up from where she was scribbling something random on a scrap piece of paper. She was momentarily confused as to what Jethro was talking about. She wondered if he had said something that she had replied to absent-mindedly. She looked at him for a while as he stared at her expectantly.

"Oh you mean the case." she let an embarrassed giggle slip before answering him, "Yeah we found him. Pretty much an open and shut case."

Jethro gave her a smile when she flashed her perfect white teeth at him, clearly proud of her and Ziva's accomplishment. He liked it when she smiled, it brought out her beauty even more and her eyes seemed to be even greener than usual.

"Bringing me coffee your way of apologizing?" Jenny asked after taking yet another drink from her coffee, she silently wondered if a person could develop an addiction within five minutes.

Jethro met her gaze, his eyes dancing with something. He cleared his throat loudly and took a drink from his own Styrofoam coffee cup. He smacked his lips before speaking, "It's better to seek forgiveness." He trailed off, finding that little sentence explanation enough.

Jenny laughed disbelievingly, "That's rich coming from you Gibbs."

"Jethro," He said quietly.

Jenny nodded her head, a little surprised that he preferred her calling him by his first name when everyone else called him Gibbs. She supposed it was his way of saying that they were friends now, instead of enemies. She rested her elbows on her desk, her hands wrapped around the coffee cup he had brought her. She was considerably closer to him now, enabling her to see him more clearly.

Jethro watched her lick her lips, something he realised she did often, and it was something that could easily distract him when she was talking to him. He caught another strong whiff of her expensive perfume as she moved closer. He could see her eyes flick down to his lips before she met his gaze again.

"Jethro Gibbs, you are a strange man."

He couldn't help but like the way his name had rolled of her tongue, like she had been saying it for years. Maybe working with her wouldn't be that bad after all, especially when she was smiling at him with those sinful red lips.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading. Please review and tell me what you think, pretty please :)_


	6. Stakeout and Chinese take-out

_**Disclaimer:** Nope, nada, I still don't own anything._

 _ **A/N:** As always thank you for the reviews and a very special thanks to **DS2010** and **hslacer** for having reviewed every chapter._

 _I know it's annoying when people ask but, please review I'd like to hear your thoughts._

 _Spoilers for Mind Games (S3E3)_

 _For those of you who had received an alert that the story was update but there was no new chapter, sorry something had gone wrong half way through uploading._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

The lovely rainy days of April and May were now behind them, leaving the city of Washington with sweltering hot, sweaty June and July weather. Everyone was uncomfortable and most of them longed for those rainy afternoons where they could curl up with a good book and a warm cup of tea. Everyone wanted the rain to come back, everyone except for Mossad Officer Ziva David, who still found the western world's summer cold.

Over the last two months she had realised that life in a typical western country was far from what she had come to know as everyday life, and their bloody idioms made her want to shoot everyone who looked at her funny when she managed to get it wrong. Tony DiNozzo had first had experience in what happens when someone made fun of her.

If she had known Jenny would request her to join NCIS and work with her in America she would have paid more attention when Tali had started teaching her the English language.

The elevator doors opened on the third floor and she stepped out onto the already bustling squad room. She gave the few agents that passed her a warm smile before continuing to her desk. She dumped her backpack behind her desk before sauntering to the adjacent bullpen where she spent most of her time if they had a particularly slow week.

It was only when she rounded the corner that she actually heard the heated argument between the two agents on the far side of the bullpen. Shooting McGee a wide eyed look she leaned against his desk, whispering to him softly.

"What did he do this time?" She asked in a stage whisper.

"Oh you know, the usual." He whispered back and gave her a boyish smile.

Ziva laughed at his reply and sat back to watch the other two agents argue. She could see Tim shake his head before going back to typing away on his computer. She liked Timothy, he was smart and loyal and in the last couple of months he had gone out of his way to help her when she had struggled with the technological aspects of her job. She saw him roll his eyes as the other two seemed to get increasingly louder.

"Tony it's degrading to a woman!"

"No it's not Kate. You're just jealous of them because they get more male attention than you." Tony bit back as Kate practically yelled at him.

The other agents in the squad room that passed by the bullpen gave them strange looks, each whispering something to another agent. Ziva was starting to loose her patience with the two of them. She was contemplating shooting the two of them where they sat or, locking them in Abby's lab until they killed each other. At times their fighting was amusing but most of the time she had found that it was just plain annoying. It was no wonder Gibbs had resorted to slapping them.

After another heated tongue lashing between the two Ziva felt her restraint snap, "Would you two please get a broom!"

Both Tony and Kate stopped mid-ranting. Tony's mouth was still slightly open from the sarcastic reply he was about to give. They looked at each other, both equally confused, they must have heard wrong. They looked towards the Israel perched on McGee's desk looking at them with raised eyebrows.

Tim stopped with what he was typing. He lifted his head and found both his team mates looking at Ziva questioningly. They must have heard it too. He could have sworn she had said broom.

Ziva whirled around and looked at McGee expectantly, as if waiting for him to back her on what she had said. She was however taken aback when he looked at her confused. "Do you not agree McGee?"

Tim's brow furrowed together as he still tried to decipher what it was Ziva had said, he gave her a blank look.

"Room, Ziva. Get a room." Jenny spoke up from nowhere.

The Israeli rolled her eyes at herself. No wonder they were looking at her like she had gone insane.

Kate was the first to recover from her stunned state of mind, "What? No! I'd kill him within seconds."

Tony turned towards Kate, giving her a rather hurt expression. He was sort of with Kate on that one. He liked his partner, but sometimes he wondered if she had been born uptight or if she just pretended to be so she could fight with him over petty things.

"That would not be so bad." Came Ziva's reply.

There was a soft giggle from the other side of the bullpen.

Jethro Gibbs marched into the squad room, two Styrofoam cups in his hands as he came back from the break room. He surveyed the large room looking for the familiar head of red hair. He slowed just a little when he saw her sat behind her desk shaking slightly.

He slowed to a stop in front of her desk, placing the tall white cup carefully between the various scattered files. He met her amused green gaze and raised an eyebrow. She simply shook her head and mouthed a thank you. He left it at that and made his way to his desk instead.

Ziva was glaring at the three people around her, making them feel increasingly uncomfortable. They had started laughing at her when they realised she had yet again muddled up a saying.

"Ziva..." Jethro grumbled as he sat behind his desk, "stop terrorising my team."

Ziva gave each one of them one last glare before heading back to her side of the divider.

The phone on Jethro's desk started ringing. Tony looked at it balefully where it sat on his boss' desk. They had just re-cooperated from the triple homicide he had wished for a few months ago, and he was in no state, physically or mentally, to start a new case this soon. He sort of hoped the rather friendly relationship Gibbs had started with Jenny would now be to their advantage and they'd be handing it over to them.

It was something that had caught all of them off guard. They had expected Gibbs to constantly growl at her and that they'd eventually kill each other. It pretty soon turned out that they had the strangest love hate relationship they had ever seen. Gibbs occasionally brought Jenny coffee and sometimes she even dropped off a white cup on his desk. It was much to Tony's amusement how the two of them danced around each other, especially when they fought, he and everyone else could see that there was more to it than just hurting the others ego.

He doubted there was anything serious between them. He would have been the first to know since Gibbs would have asked him or Abby to babysit, at least he hoped he'd know. Maybe they were just friends, but he knew better than anyone that men and women very rarely stayed friends. His musing was cut short when Gibbs slammed his phone back down.

"Grab your gear. Dead Petty Officer at Rock Creek Park. You three take the truck, I'll meet you there."

Tony made a small noise of disappointment. He grabbed his backpack and slowly started heading towards the elevator, the rest of his team mates trailing behind him.

Jethro grabbed his NCIS jacket from the bookcase and slid his Sig in its holster and clipped his beeper onto his belt as well. Grabbing his coffee cup he headed towards the elevator, draining the tall cup in one gulp. He slammed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive.

Turning, he surveyed the busy squad room. He met those dark green pools, he shared a long look with Jenny, neither wanting to look away first. The ding of the elevator broke their trance and he stepped into the silver metal box, still holding her gaze as best he could. As the doors slid shut he could see her give him the barest hint of a smile.

* * *

The early June air was refreshingly warmer than the last few days, indicating that summer had finally arrived. Tony stretched as he climbed out of the truck, being more loud than necessary. He mocked Kate as she rolled her eyes at him. Making his way around to the back he opened the double doors to let the probie out.

Tony stumbled backwards as he was suddenly assaulted with his own backpack. He glared at McGee who climbed out of the truck and handed Kate her backpack like a civilised person, "What's your problem McGrumpy?"

"You know Tony, there was more than enough room for me in the front to sit with you two." McGee snapped at Tony, glaring at him as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Kate didn't want to sit next to you." Tony blabbed to his team mate before quickly heading to the dark blue Dodge that had just pulled up.

McGee spun around and looked at Kate, the briefest glint of hurt in his eyes. He watched Kate's features soften as she moved closer to him, she rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It's not true Tim. You know how he is." Tim only nodded before shrugging her off and making his way towards Gibbs.

Jethro watched as various police officers tried to keep the sudden flood of people at bay. It always puzzled him how quickly a crime scene could attract people.

Trudging down the path towards the yellow tape, he could see various detectives through the thick brush as they stood around, what he assumed was the body. It wasn't strange to see a few detectives at crime scenes, but when he caught a glimpse of a familiar face he could feel his gut tighten painfully.

Jethro ducked under the tape and made his way up the narrow path to where he could see the detectives gathered around the crime scene. He pushed past a few officers heading back to the clearing from which he came, narrowly missing one that started throwing up from the smell that could be detected from a few feet away. He pushed few stray branches out of his way as he continued up the path.

There were soft murmurs amongst the detectives, each trying to avoid saying what they all were thinking. Jethro adjusted the cap on his head as he pushed past a few remaining officers. He stopped a couple of feet away from where the body was. He'd seen a lot of things over the last few years but nothing could ever prepare him for the sick and twisted ways people murdered others.

A middle aged man broke off from the small group of detectives and made his way towards Jethro. He ran a hand through his thinning hair, as he came to a stop next to Jethro. He was a little taller than the NCIS agent and turned to look down at him.

"What have ya got Mitch?" Jethro asked still staring at the body that was before him.

Mitch fished in his pocket for a cigarette before answering, "It's horrible Jethro. In all my years I haven't seen anything like this." He said with a cigarette hanging from his lips loosely.

Jethro had met Mitch on a different case two years ago, he had just been granted full Special Agent status and Mike Franks had dragged him to crime scene instead of a bar that night. Although he and Mitch got along just fine, he loathed seeing him at a crime scene, because it usually meant they were dealing with a serial killer.

"She the first victim?" Jethro asked quietly. He had noticed several broadcasting vans in the parking lot when he had pulled up. The last thing they wanted was the rest of the city to run around in panic.

Mitch's grey eyes darted around, trying to see if there was anyone who'd over hear them. He took a long drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke in the air, he spoke in a hushed whisper, "Yes, but something tells me she's the first body we'll find from all the missing women."

Jethro nodded tensely, his gut was bothering him, telling him that Mitch might be right in his theory. More than ten women had gone missing from December till now. Although there were more people going missing in the whole state, ten women going missing in D.C. alone was concern enough. Jethro scratched the back of his neck, praying that they weren't dealing with some sick bastard, but one glance at the poor young girl told him he'd be working non-stop until he found him.

Mitch slapped him on the shoulder as a friendly gesture, "Good luck Jethro. Call when you need some extra man power."

Jethro nodded, he could hear his team trudging down the path bickering with Ducky and Palmer not far behind them. Side stepping the remaining officers, helping to keep the crowd at bay, he took a closer look at the young girl strung up by her arms. He doubted she had been dead long.

Tony came to a sudden stop as did his fellow team members. They had grown used to all sorts of scenes and images, but some were still a little harder to process than others. Tony shot a quick glance over to Tim, making sure the young agent was still okay, he knew first hand what such an experience did to someone. Meeting Kate's eyes he gave her one look before making his way towards Gibbs.

Kate touched McGee's arm gently, "You can take statements if you want, Tony and I'll cover for you."

McGee just looked at her for a moment, he appreciated her concern but he knew he'd have to face these types of scenes sooner or later. He shook his head and continued cautiously.

Kate took in the crime scene. The young girl couldn't be a few years younger than her, with the same type of hair colour and the same built. The young woman had the shape of a heart carved into her back and was practically undressed. Her wrists were tied together and were held above her head by a rope that was tied around a branch, leaving her to kneel on the floor.

Ducky made his way around the three agents busy processing the scene, coming to stand next to the team leader himself. He gave the agent a quick squeeze on the shoulder before setting out to do his own task. He suspected that he was the only one who knew what Jethro went through when they had a case involving the murder of a woman. Mike Franks had asked him to join him at Camp Pendleton when they had been tasked with finding Shannon Gibbs' killer.

"TOD Duck?" Jethro growled impatiently behind him.

"I'd say anything from forty-eight hours ago."

Jethro turned and started snapping at his team again. Ducky indicated that Jimmy could loosen the rope and start lowering it down so they could place the young woman in a body bag. Taking a closer look, he noticed the slightly darker colour around the girls mouth.

Pulling a pair of tweezers from his medical bag he pried the girls mouth open.

"Uh… Jethro, I suggest you take a look at this." Ducky met the agent's eyes as he towered over him, "The heart on her back isn't his only calling card." He opened her mouth again.

"Taking her tongue is too."

* * *

Abby stood behind her computer swaying to the almost indiscernible beat of the song that was blasting through the speakers in her lab. She took another large gulp from the large cup that accompanied her everywhere, she savoured the red caffeine liquid. Pursing her lips slightly she continued running the tests on the samples Ducky had sent her.

Satisfied that her babies were running smoothly and purring as they worked on analysing the samples she had given them, she made her way to the back of her lab. She threw her hands up in the air as the song ended. She was disappointed however when her friend didn't even offer her a smile or a second glance. Her shoulders fell slightly as she went to stand next to him.

She rested her hand on his shoulder and turned him in her chair, "If Gibbs finds you sulking down here, he'll fire us both."

McGee didn't even look the tiniest bit worried and simply turned back to doing his work on her computer. Abby frowned, it couldn't be the case he would have told her if what they saw bothered him. She squatted next to him, balancing herself precariously on her platform boots. She touched her friends arm and looked at him.

"Timmy what's wrong?" Her voice was full of concern as she regarded her friend.

"It's nothing Abby." Tim shrugged her off, but the young Goth wouldn't have any of it.

"No Timmy, something is bothering you and I want to know what it is." Tim smiled to himself and tried to hide it from her. He supposed if there was anyone who was going to be honest with him it would be Abby.

"Do you think the others like me?" Abby's green eyes widened in disbelief as McGee asked her. She clenched her jaw and shot straight back up to her full height. Her green eyes flashed with sudden anger before clouding with concern.

"Yes Timmy, everyone likes you. Stop doubting yourself and ignore Tony, he's just a big goof-ball."

Abby took a hold of Tim's arm and yanked him out of the chair. She she pushed the papers and files into his arms and marched him towards the entrance of her lab. She was about to press the elevator button when she realised the elevator was already heading down to her floor. Thinking on her feet she pushed McGee into the stairwell, "Leave before Gibbs really fires us." She whispered before heading back to the elevator.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves she plastered a calm smile on her face and waited for the silver doors to slide open.

The doors had hardly opened before Jethro stormed through them and almost crashed into the forensic scientist, "Where's McGee?" he growled pushing past her.

Abby huffed and stormed after him, her hands on her hips. She didn't like it one bit when Gibbs' was in one of his moods. "He's not here Gibbs." She shouted from behind her desk as he looked around her back office. Both her eyebrows were raised when he came back, a firm glare was gracing his features. She just pursed her lips at him, not the least bit phased by his thunderous mood.

"Results Abs, do you have them?" He growled at her, still scanning the lab for his probationary agent.

"Gibbs! These things take time okay, if you want it to be accurate you'll have to wait like the rest of us."

"We don't have time Abs." Abby looked at him quizzically. She knew better than any one that Gibbs was hardly ever wrong.

"Is your gut telling you something Gibbs?" She asked softly, trying to meet the older man's eyes.

Jethro just looked at her. Abby rushed towards him and gave him a tight hug.

Jethro patted her back softly before marching out of the lab. He slammed the button for the elevator and waited for it. Abby had been right, his gut was bothering him. He felt uneasy about the case, his gut screamed serial killer but his mind stubbornly told him that it might just have been a cover to divert the attention to something different. Maybe seeing Mitch at the crime scene just made him paranoid.

The elevator dinged bringing him back.

The automatic doors to autopsy swished open, blowing a gentle gust of wind into anyone's face who stepped into the cold room. Jethro rolled his shoulders as he stepped through the doors and strolled towards one of the metal tables. He glared at the young assistant, effectively scaring the young man enough to cause him to flee to Abby's lab.

"I'm afraid mister Palmer will soon resign if you keep scaring him away Jethro." Ducky said humorously, as he looked up from the cadaver he was busy with.

"Not my problem Duck. You find anythin' yet?" Jethro asked as he looked at the face of the young woman they had found.

Ducky pulled the latex gloves from his hands and tossed them in the bin, he folded his arms across his chest and looked at the other man, regarding him for a moment. "She was sexually assaulted first, there were several bruises on her thighs supporting that theory. I sent several samples up to Abby, hopefully she'll be able to get some information."

"What's the cause of death?"

"Asphyxia, he must have strangled her right after he had assaulted her. As for her tongue that must have occurred right after she was strangled, that's why there was so much blood on her trousers."

Jethro grit his teeth as he listened to Ducky relay what he had found, "And the heart?"

"That was definitely post-mortem since there was a lack of bleeding."

Jethro nodded and started heading for the sliding doors again, the soles of his shoes squeaking as he walked. He was about to step through the doors when Ducky spoke again.

"Jethro, I know this is rather premature but we might be dealing with one sick individual and I'm afraid we'll be seeing more of his victims." Ducky met his colleagues blue eyes and could see that he wasn't alone in his point of view.

Jethro stormed into the bullpen, his foot steps almost echoing in the squad room. He shrugged off his jacket and threw it on the bookcase behind his desk. Taking a seat, he pulled his personal notes towards him and went through the various bits of information. Looking around for a pen, he spotted the large white cup sat on his desk, the steam escaping through the slit in the white lid. He didn't have to guess who had left it there, and he was grateful she had taken the initiative to buy him a cup.

Jethro looked up from his papers and found his team in front of his desk. He indicated that they better start talking.

"Petty Officer Desiree Ann Rivera was thirty-four years old. She grew up here in D.C. with both her parents, unfortunately they both passed away five years ago in a car accident." Tony turned his attention towards McGee who was looking rather nervous.

"Uh… there was no suspicious activity on her bank records. She didn't really make phone calls, and when she did make them it was to a psychiatrist."

"Petty Officer Rivera did inherit a large sum of money when her parents passed away. She had put all of it into a trust fund, but other than that there's nothing else." Kate elaborated.

Jethro ran a hand over his face, trying to piece together the bits of information his team had just given him. Nothing made sense, "So what you're telling me is that a you have nothing." Jethro snapped at his team, he rose from his seat and glared at each of them, "How does a woman with no friends and no relatives end up tortured to death in Rock Creek Park?!"

"When she's a victim of a serial killer."

McGee, Kate and Tony looked at Jethro with wide eyes. Neither of them had said anything, the voice had come from behind their boss. They each backtracked to their desk, none of them willing to get between the two people who were about to start arguing.

Jethro spun around, his blue eyes flashing with anger and irritation. He met her green pools and glared down at her over the divider, "Do you have evidence that indicates towards that?" He growled at her as she looked at him with raised eyebrows.

Jenny rolled her eyes at him, "No, but it's obvious Jethro, and don't tell me you're not thinking the same thing."

"You sticking your nose in my case?" He quickly changed the subject. It nettled him that she wasn't afraid to stick her nose in his business, what got to him even more was the fact that she was usually spot on. She was the kind of person he wouldn't have minded to have on his team.

"I was just offering my point of view." She bit back at him, now irritated as well that he was being a pain about her efforts to help him.

"Don't, my team knows what they're doing." She rolled her eyes at him.

Jethro scowled at her bent head as she sat behind her desk. He snapped around and glared at the cup of coffee she had left on his desk, he took a long drink of the scalding hot coffee. His team looked at him expectantly.

"DiNozzo you and McGee go talk to the therapist. Kate talk to Petty Officer Rivera's CO, she had to be close with someone on base."

The three agents were off as he took a seat behind his desk again. He pulled the trusted cup of coffee towards him and drank slowly this time, savouring the bitter taste.

Jenny walked past Jethro's cubicle, she watched him drink from the Styrofoam cup she had left for him earlier. She looked over her shoulder and met those cobalt blue eyes, a smirk curled her lips as she looked at him. "You're welcome." She could feel him glare at the back of her head as she stepped in the back elevator.

* * *

There were several children running around the large playground, all of them scattered in small groups as they played together. She could easily spot the little girl she had come for. Her wild curls were as unruly as usual and was easy to spot amongst the sea of little children. She watched for a while as she explained something to one of her friends.

Joann smiled as Kelly spotted her across the playground. She watched her jump up excitedly, gathering her toys before heading towards her grandmother. One of the boys she was playing with following her.

Joann waited patiently as Kelly ran around looking for her shoes, not quite fighting the smile that was caused by the little boy trying his best to help her granddaughter put on her shoes. She could see out the corner of her eye that Kelly's teacher was slowly approaching her.

"Miss Fielding?" Joann turned her attention towards the young woman standing next to her.

"Yes?" She asked politely, still keeping Kelly in her line of sight.

"I don't mean to pry or anything..." Evelyn Grisham trailed off, unsure of how to phrase her question and not entirely comfortable with having to ask the question, but she had to know. It wasn't a secret that some of their young pupils were from families who had gone through a divorce, but there was coincidently only one who had only one parent.

"How old was Kelly when her mother had passed away?" Evelyn immediately regretted asking the question when she saw the still somewhat raw pain in the older woman's eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," Joann smiled at her a little shakily, "She was barely a month old when it happened, her father had returned from deployment a few days later." It was all she was willing to say, and all she could say since Kelly came skipping to a halt right in front of her, the little girl's friend not far behind her.

"Hey Nana!" Kelly smiled up at her grandmother, her blue eyes large and vibrant. The little girl twisted around and pulled the little boy towards her, making him stand next to her, "Nana this is Kyle."

The little boy looked up at her, his large chocolate eyes meeting hers. He waved at her shyly and moved a little closer to Kelly. Joann briefly wondered if Jethro had ever met young Kyle. The little boy hugged Kelly tightly before scampering back to the group they had come from.

It was the first time she had met young Kyle, Maddie or Rose usually accompanied Kelly when she arrived to get her. Today was a little different since there was someone waiting for the two of them.

"You ready?" Joann waited for Kelly to nod affirmatively before offering her her hand. She looked at Kelly's teacher and smiled softly, "Have a nice day."

Kelly waved at her teacher and walked next to her grandmother holding on to her hand tightly. She swung her other arm as they walked, mumbling to herself, "Nana, why you early?"

Joann stalled for a moment looking down at her granddaughter. She had hardly noticed that Kelly had slowly but surely started saying her 'r' properly. She couldn't help but feel proud of the young girl's accomplishment. She swung Kelly up into her arms as they crossed the street.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet honey." Kelly looked at her with excitement, she bounced up and down in her arms slightly unable to contain the excitement.

Joann put Kelly back on the ground as they continued their way towards the large SUV. Kelly was skipping again, a little more silent than usual. Casting a quick glance down at her she could see her brow furrowed in concentration. She smiled and opened the back door.

Kelly was strapped in her car seat as Joann slid into the driver's seat. She looked in the rear view mirror to make sure the little girl was still okay, "Kelly you okay?"

"Yes." Came the quick reply before silence settled once again. It was quiet for a while as they meandered though the streets, trying to navigate lunch time traffic.

"Nana, is he a ast… astra…," Kelly huffed a little, clearly growing impatient with herself, "a astronut?"

It was Joann's turn to look confused, she pulled her face a little trying to decipher what Kelly had meant. She turned on to the next street and slowed to a stop at the traffic light. She twisted a little to look at the toddler.

"A what?"

"A astronut." Kelly stated again clearly confused as to why her grandmother wasn't understanding what she was saying.

"Honey, do you mean an _astronaut_?"

Kelly was silent for a while. The traffic light changed green and they were off once again, the small fancy restaurant Joann had suggested for the meeting only a few blocks away.

"No Nana," Kelly said as if she knew exactly what she was talking about, "a astronut."

Joann laughed softly and shook her head. There was no point in arguing with the little girl, she was as stubborn as her father when it came to reasoning with her. Looking at Kelly in the rear view mirror, she saw her sat with folded arms, her lips slightly pursed and a _know-it-all_ look in her eyes. It was no wonder Agent DiNozzo often referred to Kelly as little Gibbs, because she looked exactly like him right at that moment.

There was an old beat up pick-up parked in front of the quaint little restaurant, indication that their guest was already there waiting for them. Joann quickly helped Kelly out of the SUV and ushered her towards the entrance of the building.

A young waiter rushed towards them, a fake smile plastered on his young face, "My I help you?" He asked a little rudely when he took one glance down at the little girl. He quickly schooled his features when he was met with a glare from the older woman.

"Fielding." Was her short reply as the young waiter quickly changed his attitude and rushed them towards their table.

He was much older than the last time she had seen him. His face was more lined than it had been a few years ago and he appeared older than he really was. His hair had turned into snow but his eyes were still as blue and teasing as always. He stood slowly as they reached the table and he was quick to pull out her chair for her to sit.

Joann pushed her chair in a little further, careful not to crush the little girl against the table who was sat contentedly in her lap.

He looked at the little girl discreetly, mindful not to make her more nervous than she already appeared to be. He cleared his throat a little, trying to force the lump to go away. He took a deep breath before offering his two companions a warm and friendly smile.

"Thank you for inviting me Joann." The woman in question reached out and touched his hand tenderly, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Jackson, it's nothing really. She's as much your family as she is mine." Jackson gave her a brave smile before turning his attention back to the little girl, who was trying to bury herself deeper into her grandmother's embrace.

"Kelly why don't you say hello to Jackson." Joann coaxed Kelly into being a little more open towards the man in front of them. Kelly looked up at her a little distressed with the fact that she had to talk to a complete stranger.

"Hi," Kelly mumbled a little softly as she looked at the stranger.

It was brief and if she hadn't been looking she would have missed it, but there was a painful flash of sadness at the fact that his own granddaughter didn't even know who he was. Pain that cut even deeper when the friendly meeting between the three of them was to be kept a secret in fear that the little girl's father might deny him the right to see his granddaughter.

"Jackson, but you can call me Jack." Jackson offered his hand to the little girl.

Joann nudged Kelly gently, showing that she should shake his hand.

Kelly sat up a little straighter and leaned across the table shaking the older man's hand. There was a flicker of recognition as she looked at him a little closer, as if she had seen him before. Feeling a little more comfortable and braver she said the first thing she thought of.

"You look like my daddy."

Jackson smiled a little at her comment, "Your daddy must be one good looking guy."

Kelly nodded, not entirely sure what he had meant by his statement. Kelly busied herself with a few of the little ornaments on the table, tuning out what the adults were talking about.

"She's smaller than I thought she'd be." Jackson said a little disbelievingly. He knew he wasn't making much sense but he'd expected her to be a lot bigger. Kelly was a little small for her age not by much but if she stood between her friends it was easy to see that she was at least two inches shorter than the rest, if not a little more.

Joann smiled at him and ruffled the little girl's hair, "She'll sprout when she's older."

Jackson laughed softly, drawing the little girl's attention from the salt and pepper shakers she was currently playing with. She leaned on her elbows and looked the older man straight in the eye.

"Are you a astronut?" She asked, her voice low, as if it was a state secret.

Jackson looked confused for a moment before he put one and one together, he gave a real hearty laugh this time and leaned closer to the little girl, his voice dropping as well, "'Fraid not young lady, was a pilot though."

Kelly looked disappointed for a brief second before perking up again, "What is a pilot?"

Jackson leaned in even closer and whispered, "Someone who can fly an aeroplane."

Kelly looked at Jackson in awe, as if what he had just told her was physically impossible.

Joann met Jackson's gaze and smiled at him reassuringly. It was the first step in them having some form of a relationship.

Lunch had gone by too quickly and before either of them knew it, they were already heading towards the door. Jackson opened the door for Joann and Kelly and closed it behind him as he stepped into the hot summer heat. He walked with Joann towards the large SUV.

He knelt in front of Kelly, once again offering her his hand. They had become good friends over the last few hours. She had reminded him of Jethro when he had been a boy her age. He took her small hand in his much larger one and shook it.

"Until next time Kelly." He said sadly, not wanting to say goodbye just yet.

Kelly looked at him with wide blue eyes and watched as a tear rolled down the older man's cheek. On a moment of impulse, she stepped forward and wiped the lone tear away, "No cry, okay?"

The act was sweet and innocent and something Jackson was going to cherish for a long time to come.

Joann quickly buckled Kelly in her seat and closed the door.

"I didn't want to ask in front of her, but, how is Leroy?" There was genuine concern in his voice and a sense of pain Joann knew all too well.

"He's a great father and he cares about Kelly very deeply," she paused for a moment and made sure Kelly was still okay, "He's alone and in pain."

Joann didn't have to elaborate any further, they both knew exactly what she was talking about. It was something all three of them had in common, they had all lost someone they loved dearly. All they could do was offer support.

"Thank you," Jackson gave Joann a tight hug and stepped back, "for looking after them."

Joann nodded and watched Jackson get in his truck and drive off. She looked at Kelly and saw her fast asleep in her car seat. She knew there would be hell to pay if Jethro ever found out she had let Kelly meet Jackson. She was prepared for him though, he was only hurting himself by not talking to his father.

* * *

Jenny lolled back in her chair, sighing softly as she looked around the squad room. She folded her arms across her chest and simply stared at the people who passed by her section. It was surprisingly quiet since Jethro had sent his team out and he was nowhere to be seen. She smiled to herself as she thought back to his rather irritated expression when she had stated the obvious.

No-one ever dared breath the word serial killer around here, it meant that there was someone out there who could strike at any moment, and that was the last thing the Navy wanted to worry about. However her earlier visit to Ducky had confirmed her suspicions, it was a pure friendly visit – since Ducky had given one or two lectures at FLET-C she had attended – but she could hardly ignore the body lying on the silver steel slab.

The young boy who worked in the mail room pushed his trolley through the bullpen, stopping in front of her desk. He sorted through the brown envelopes and handed her a small envelope. She thanked him and smiled kindly as he continued, pushing his trolley through the rest of the squad room.

Turning the brown envelope over she recognised the neat script, almost identical to her own. She didn't even have to take a whiff of the brown paper to know it smelled like her. Didn't the woman know how to take a hint? She examined the stamp closely and noted that this one came from somewhere in Europe. She rolled her eyes and ripped the envelope into smaller pieces, tossing it in the trash just as Ziva sauntered around the corner.

"Hey, I thought you were going to the gym?" Jenny asked as she pulled a few documents towards her. She watched as Ziva rolled her eyes and came to stand in front of her desk.

"It was no use. All the men were whips." Ziva said almost sounding bored.

Jenny blinked a few times, two years working with Ziva and still the woman found new ways to surprise her with how she could ruin the English language.

"A wimp, Ziva. Whips are leather strip you beat someone with, something special agent DiNozzo fantasizes about." The last part was probably unnecessary, but if the Italian agent had been around he probably would have made some wise ass remark about it.

Ziva looked at Jenny slightly bewildered. Jenny couldn't help but laugh at her partner before shooing her away.

Ziva turned the volume up on the television, deciding to watch some news to pass the time until they could leave, anything to keep her occupied before she went insane from boredom. She flopped in her chair and watched as the female anchor went on about something unimportant.

" _A close source to the Navy Yard has just informed me that the body found this morning in Rock Creek Park was in fact a victim of a serial killer. Now we haven't received any confirmation on this just yet, but we can all hope the people over at the Navy Yard are doing something about it."_

Ziva met Jenny's equally shocked gaze.

"You see what you've done." Jethro growled from behind her, his eyes dark with anger.

Jenny shot from her chair and walked after him, coming to stand next to his desk. She glared at him as he ignored her presence. "Now this is my fault. You say that like I was the one who told them we had a sick bastard on our hands."

"If you didn't have such a big mouth, we'd still have some form advantage." Jethro growled down at her. His face millimetres from hers. He could feel her bristle as he accused her.

"You have-" Jenny was cut of by the thunderous shout coming from the catwalk.

"Agent Gibbs! My office now!"

Jethro glared at Jenny as he pushed her out of his way a little roughly, causing her to stumble slightly.

"You too Agent Shepard!" Vance shot over his shoulder and walked back to his office.

Ziva gave Jenny a wide eyed look as she watched them ascend the steps before disappearing behind the metal door.

Leon stood close to the large windows overlooking the Navy Yard when the two agents burst through his door. His assistant not even bothering to apologise for having them burst through the doors. He turned around slowly, not giving either of them a second glance. If there was anyone who was supposed to be angry, it was him, because he was the one who had to explain this situation to SecNav.

He slammed his hand on his desk forcefully, causing the two agents to snap out of their little glaring game and turn their attention towards him.

"Gibbs do you have any idea what this little news report has resulted in?" He asked the older agent, looking at him expectantly.

Jethro gaped at him a little disbelievingly before his anger took over his facial expression, "You think I told them?" He practically shouted at the man across from him. He looked at Jenny, his eyes dark with anger as he scowled at her.

"SecNav's breathing down my neck, demanding an explanation as to how the Press knows about this."

Jethro ran a hand through his cropped hair, fisting his hand in his hair painfully, "I don't know Leon. We don't even know who this bastard is yet." he snapped at the Director.

"Precisely, there for SecNav and I have decided that it would be better if you and Special Agent Shepard work on this case together. She and Officer David can assist you, and you can concentrate on finding out who's behind all of this."

Jenny stared at Vance before risking a glance at Jethro. She didn't think it was such a good idea to have the two of them work the same case. It was the same reason they couldn't always see eye to eye on how certain things got done. They were just too driven to give the other a chance.

"No." A sudden silence descended over the three of them. Leon looked at Jethro with raised eyebrows, clearly taken aback by his brash reply. He clenched his jaw and slammed his hand on the desk again.

"Damn it Gibbs, now is not the time for you to a pain in the ass."

"They're rookies Leon. They don't know the first thing about solving a high-profile case like this." Jethro bit back.

"Excuse me." Jenny had turned back towards Jethro, her green eyes aflame with anger, "Rookies? I've had more successful undercover Ops than the amount of murders you've solved."

"There's a difference Shepard! These victims have families!" Jethro whirled on Jenny, his glaring turning murderous.

"And arms dealers don't?"

"Apples and oranges Jenny!" Jenny bit her tongue at his words.

Leon rubbed his face tiredly before looking through his pockets for a toothpick he could chew on, finding one in his trouser pocket he popped it in his mouth. "That's enough Agent Shepard."

Both agents closed their mouths and decided to continue their argument in private. Leon picked up his phone from its cradle and looked between the two of them, "I suggest you two get down stairs and solve this case while I do damage control."

Jethro grabbed Jenny by the arms and walked her through the two doors and headed straight to the elevator that would take them down. He slammed the white button violently and waited for the doors to slide open.

Jenny felt Jethro's chest being pressed firmly against her back as he pushed her inside the square silver box. She tried stopping him from forcing her inside the enclosed space, but he was too strong and her heels didn't offer much resistance. She stumbled slightly and he caught her around the waist to balance her once again.

Her hand was resting right over his heart and she could feel it hammer against her palm. She didn't know whether it was from the anger that was so clearly visible in his blue eyes or if it was because of their close proximity. She sure as hell knew her heart was galloping from being pressed this close to him. Snapping herself out of it, she pushed against him and took a step back.

The elevator shuddered to a stop as he slammed the emergency stop button.

Jethro took another step closer to her and effectively backed her into one of the corners. He watched her lick those red lips. He entertained the idea of how it must feel to kiss her, whether it was to shut her up or just to show her that he really did like her. He leaned down a little more and could feel her hot breath against his face.

"My rules." He expected his words to come out as some form of threat, but instead his voice was husky. Jenny's eyes seemed to glimmer in the pale, almost blue, lighting of the elevator as he spoke. Her eyes seemed larger and darker than usual as he pinned her against the railing, not close enough for something more, but not far enough for two co-workers.

"Fair enough," Jenny smirked at him, "but the first slap you give me, I will keelhaul you."

Jethro's anger had dissipated a little when he saw the teasing smile than had replaced the arrogant smirk.

Jenny placed her hands on both sides of Jethro's chest, she could feel his ribs rise and fall as he breathed. She was more than sure he could feel her cold fingers through his polo and under-shirt. She gently dug her fingers into his ribs and pushed him away from her. She reached across the elevator and flipped the small silver switch setting the elevator back into motion.

The doors slid open. She stepped between the two doors and looked back over her shoulder, her long red hair slightly covering her face. "You coming?" She asked as she looked at him.

Jethro took a deep breath, trying to gather his wits before nodding curtly and following her out the elevator towards the bullpen not missing how her hips seemed to swing just a little bit more. Two members of his team were already assembled and trading theories. Jenny motioned for Ziva to join them.

Tony looked at Gibbs critically, he'd seen them enter the elevator and it had been quite some time before they had reappeared on the squad room floor. He noted the older man's slightly flushed cheeks and rather befuddled look. Ignoring it so he could fester over that later, he nudged McGee gently, he had only just noticed the two women from next door joining them in the bullpen.

"You guys lost?" He asked sarcastically, hoping Gibbs was going to back him for once in his life. He gave a nervous chuckle when Ziva glared at him and Jenny just grinned at him. He swallowed a little heavily when McGee looked at him with large terrified eyes. It's only then that he noticed Gibbs standing next to him.

"Hey Boss, I was just joking you know to lighten the mood. I didn't mean they couldn't be here, but we are working a case, unless you want them to help-" Tony grit his teeth when a large palm collided with the back of his head. He glared at the two snickering women.

"McGee, what have ya got?"

Tim licked his lips nervously, "Uhm… the psychiatrist's name is Bradley Pike, he didn't really have much to say about Petty Officer Rivera-"

"Yeah, he was hiding behind the whole privilege thing," Tony piped up once he drew his eyes away from Ziva and paid attention to what McGee was saying, "He did seem pretty eager to get us out of there though, like he was hiding something."

"Could it be that our victim confided something in him that might have caused her death?" Jenny asked from where she was leaning against Gibbs desk, looking at the two agents with raised eyebrows.

Jethro turned around and glared at her mildly. What part about what he had said in the elevator hadn't she understand? She simply raised her hands in surrender and gave him the barest hint of a smirk as he scowled at her.

"Bring him in." Jethro growled at the two men before making his way to his desk.

Tony grabbed his backpack and stopped in front of Gibbs' desk, "Boss, there a reason they're here?" Tony shot Jenny a sideways glance before looking back at Gibbs.

"Well yeah DiNozzo, since the Director thinks it'll help in catchin' the bastard who did this." Tony only nodded before heading to the elevator with McGee in-tow.

Kate rushed into the bullpen, pushing past her two co-workers and glaring at Tony as he passed her. She still wasn't over his little comment from that morning, which she had found insulting to all women. She smiled at the two women in the bullpen before stopping in front of Gibbs' desk.

"Petty Officer Rivera was well liked by everyone, but she wasn't really a social butterfly, unlike DiNozzo. One of the women she was in some way close to said she did have a romantic relationship with a man named," Kate flipped through her notes trying to find the name she had scribbled down in her haste to get back, "Bradley Pike."

Jethro's head snapped up at the new information. He tried to hide the wince of pain as his stomach knotted once again, causing him to be slightly nauseous. He looked up and met Jenny's eyes, she looked at him questioningly but he simply ignored her.

"DiNozzo just left to pick him up. Take Ziva and run through everything again see what we missed."

Kate nodded and motioned for Ziva to join her at her desk.

Jenny came around Jethro's desk, leaning her hip against it and looking down at him. She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him. "What are you thinking Jethro? You think we might have caught him?"

Jethro scrubbed a hand across his face and sighed, "It can't be that easy. We're missing something."

The sun had set a few hours ago, casting the whole city in darkness. Tony was leaning against the door to observation, his head pounding with a headache. They we're all in fear that they might be called out to another scene in a few hours. He could here Gibbs shout at their suspect, but he knew it was to no avail. He'd tried earlier but Pike had said nothing, leaving only Gibbs to wrangle some information out of him, and if he couldn't do it no-one could.

There was a heavy clomping of boots as they echoed down the empty hallways. Tony cracked one eye open and waited for the black blur to come around the corner. He gave the Goth a tired smile as she came to a stop next to him, "Hey Abs."

"Tony you look horrible." The Italian gave her a half hearted sad looking face.

"It's just a headache."

"You know my great aunt had a cure for headaches. She use to stand on her head and then she'd-" Abby trailed off as Gibbs stormed out of interrogation.

"Hey Gibbs, I was just telling Tony my great aunt had a cure for headaches. She use to-"

"Abs do you have the results yet?" Jethro asked shortly, not even noting the hurt look Abby had given him when he had interrupted her.

"Yes, there's nothing Gibbs. No traces of DNA or anything, not even a hair or a fingerprint. Whoever this guy is he's good Gibbs."

"DiNozzo, take Pike home. He doesn't know anything. Abby can I use the phone in your lab?"

Abby took a hold of Gibbs' hand and dragged him all the way to her lab. She thrust the phone into his palm and left him in her back office, returning to her computer to see if there was anything she had missed.

Jethro sighed heavily, he punched the number in and waited for the dial-tone to start. He didn't have to wait long before there was someone on the other line. He heard the soft giggles of his daughter through the phone and could hear her playing with Arthur.

"Hello?"

"Joann, we got a case, might be working through the night again."

"I understand. Do you want to talk to her?"

He didn't even have chance to answer before he heard Kelly being put on the line, she breathed into the receiver as she waited for someone to talk. It broke his heart to disappoint her once again, for the second time in a row.

"Hey Kel, you being good?"

"Daddy! Yes, me always good. Daddy! Daddy! I met a astronut today, he was old and funny and he say he was a pi… pi… a pilot."

Jethro smiled into the receiver, relieved that Kelly had had a good day. He could hear Joann help her pronounce the word as she went on rambling about someone she had met. He wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying, he was just enjoying hearing her little voice.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah Kelly I'm here. Listen I know I promised you we could stay up late tonight and work on the boat, but daddy has to work and I don't know when I'll be home." He didn't have to see her to know that her face had fell when he had said he couldn't make it. He grit his teeth against the guilt.

"Okay." Her voice was small and soft and he still wanted to say goodnight but she had already ended the call. The end-tone rang in his ear. He placed the phone back in its cradle and tried to reassure himself she was still too young to understand how demanding his line of work was.

"I love you Kelly." He mumbled to himself as he leaned back in the chair.

* * *

Jenny Shepard closed her eyes against the raging headache that had made itself known two day into working this case. They were on day four and the pressure still hadn't lightened the least bit since she was thrown into this case with Jethro. There had been moments over the last twenty-four hours where she had considered shooting him.

He hadn't stopped growling at them since he had interrogated their first suspect, after which he returned in the worst mood she had seen him in since she had started in Washington. Jenny moaned softly as the pounding in her head intensified. She was steadily counting the hours until it was her turn to return home and catch up on a couple of hours of sleep.

She doubted Jethro had gone home over the last few days. She didn't know how he could function on little to no sleep, she'd had to fight him tooth and nail just so they could take turns in going home just to catch up on some sleep. Even Ziva had suffered from the lack of sleep.

Jethro thundered around the corner, his body betraying just how much he was in need of some rest. He was limping slightly more than usual and the dark circles under his eyes were just further testament as to how tired he was.

Tony looked up from behind his computer, looking more refreshed than the rest of them combined, maybe it had something to do with the fact that he'd had seven hours sleep. He met Jenny's tired gaze and knew she was just as concerned about Gibbs as the rest of them were. He in particular was concerned with the fact that Gibbs hadn't even taken sometime to go and see Kelly. Taking the plunge he made his way towards Gibbs.

He stopped in front of the older man, staring right back at him, "Gibbs, why don't you go home. Catch up on some sleep. I'm sure the rest of us can handle everything while you and Jenny are away."

Jethro slammed his cup down on his desk and crowded Tony as he stepped closer to him, "You think our killer takes a break!"

Tony grit his teeth and squared his shoulders a little, trying not to show that he was a little bit intimidated by the older man.

"I want to know who he is DiNozzo. Where he was born. What his favourite colour is." Jethro growled right in the young man's face.

Everyone had stopped to see what was going on.

Tony tried to step back, but Gibbs wouldn't let up, continuing to crowd his personal space. The young man looked around for a little help, under any other circumstances he would have dropped a movie reference or would have said something to goad his boss. He refrained from doing so in fear that Gibbs might snap and actually physically hurt him.

"What do you want us to do Gibbs? We've gone over the evidence a thousand times, there's nothing."

"Find something DiNozzo!"

Everyone turned to look at the two men.

"Uhm... uh... Boss I think I might have something." Tim spoke a little hesitantly. Tony shot him a grateful look and quickly headed back to his desk, trying to stay out of the firing line.

Jenny made her way to stand next to Jethro, waiting for McGee to tell them what he had found. She could feel the tenseness radiate from Jethro's body as he tried to reign in his anger. They looked at the nervous agent expectantly.

"Today McGee!" Jethro shouted at the young agent, attracting the rest of the squad room's attention.

Jenny grabbed Jethro's arm forcefully and turned him towards her. She was scowling at him viciously, clearly unimpressed with his sudden outburst. Her hand slid down to his wrist so she could grip him more tightly.

"That's enough Jethro. We're all irritated and tired, it's not just you." His shouting and growling was getting them nowhere and it only turned her headache into a migraine. She realised that she was probably gripping his wrist tighter than necessary she dropped his hand and turned back towards McGee.

"Go on Tim." She urged the young agent.

"I looked into the missing persons files as agent Shepard had suggested and I noticed that five cases had the same thing in common."

"And?" Jethro asked a little more calmly.

"They were all from roughly the same area where Bradley Pike's office was."

"His office is just an inexpensive room decorated in his house. Boss, McGee and I had gone through everything. There was nothing suspicious, unless too much leather is a crime." Tony said from his desk looking between the two team leaders. He didn't miss the glower coming from his boss.

Jenny was quiet for a while trying to process the information, the pain in her skull increasing as she tried to figure out their next move. She slid her hands in her hair and massaged her temples just to relieve some of the ache.

"Jethro, I think the only way we'll rule Pike out as a suspect is if we have him under surveillance."

Jethro gave her a dirty look, she had defied his rules more than once in the last few days. It angered him even more that his team didn't even think twice to jump when she snapped her fingers, expect for Tony he had been a little reluctant at first but had soon followed the rest. Nine out of the ten times she had been right and that only fuelled his anger, she'd been the one to suggest they look into the missing persons cases.

Woman's intuition, that's what he had come down to. She knew all these things because of her intuition, he wasn't prepared to think that his gut was failing him, or that four days with out sleep was actually messing with his ability to think. By the time he started paying attention she was already issuing orders.

"Ziva, you and Tony take the first shift. Make sure he's there and if he is, you watch his every move. Gibbs and I will take the second shift which will probably be around nine tonight. Kate, you and Tim go over those missing persons files, when you're done I suggest you go home and catch up on some much needed sleep."

"Where are you two going to be in the meantime?" Tony asked, the barest hint of curiosity clear in his voice.

"Sleeping." Was Jenny's only reply as she made her way to her desk.

Jethro's team looked at him for the _go-ahead_ _._ He glared at each one of them darkly before waving them off, indicating they better follow their orders before he had an angered redhead to deal with. He stumbled slightly at the force with which Jenny shoved his jacket into his hands. He didn't even offer her a scowl since it hurt his eyes to even pull his face.

Jenny took Jethro by the arm and pulled him so he walked along side her. She could feel the team's eyes on them as she pushed him into the elevator. She slammed the button that would take them to the garage. She leaned against the back of the elevator and closed her eyes for the ride down.

"Don't look at me like that." She mumbled, her eyes still shut firmly.

"Just cos you can tell my team what to do doesn't mean you can do the same with me." His voice was low and dangerous, and she couldn't help the way her stomach fluttered when he sounded like that.

She didn't bother to open her eyes when she replied, "Jethro you need sleep."

"How would you know?"

Jenny cracked one eye open to look at him. He didn't appear to be as angry as he had been in the bullpen, she smiled at him tiredly before hitting his chest lightly, "Don't play games with me."

There was a louder than necessary ding in the elevator, indicating they had reached the garage. Jenny pushed off of the silver wall and slowly headed towards her car, Jethro was trudging behind her slowly, the pain clear in his eyes as he tried to hide the limp.

Jethro pulled the keys out of his pocket to the dark Dodge. He opened the car door and gave a quick glance towards Jenny. "Hey, pick you up at eight?"

Jenny gave him a teasing grin, "It's a date."

* * *

He was asleep but still very aware of his surroundings. He could hear her scampering around in her room, occasionally she mumbled to herself and he could gather she was still okay. He wasn't too worried about her, he had told her she had to stay on the top floor while he tried to catch up on some rest. He didn't know what time it was and he didn't want to look. He felt more refreshed than he had in ages, it was probably down to the fact that he had passed out for a while before regaining some consciousness.

The door to his bedroom opened with a soft creek, followed by the soft pattering of small feet. He didn't move at all, waiting to see what was going to happen. The bed dipped as she climbed onto it and came to sit right next to him. He felt her small chubby fingers move strands of hair off his forehead, a wet clumsy kiss soon followed as she kissed his forehead.

Opening his eyes, Jethro stared up into eyes as blue as his.

"You awake!" Kelly cried joyfully. She launched herself at him and hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek this time. Jethro hugged her back, returning her kiss. He tried to smooth her curls down some but they seemed to have a mind of their own.

Kelly scrambled so she was sitting right on his stomach, looking down at him, her grey bear clutched under one arm. She looked at him seriously for a moment.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah honey, what's bothering you?" He asked her softly and grabbing her feet gently so she could stop kicking him in his sides.

"Nana say you Supaman."

Joann had cornered him when he had picked Kelly up, making it clear that the least he could have done was call his daughter and explain to her that he wouldn't be seeing her for a while. He had felt bad when he had realised that he had neglect to even call his daughter. She had been in tears when he had appeared out of nowhere. It was only then that Joann had told him she had trouble sleeping if she didn't hear from him.

"Sometimes." He answered.

"But he no have white hair." Kelly said seriously.

Jethro laughed softly, he had made peace with turning grey the moment he had noticed the few white strands. He still had dark hair but the amount of white hair was slowly increasing at the back and at the sides. He met Kelly's serious gaze.

"Superman's getting old."

Kelly smiled down at him before falling back on the mattress and cuddling up to him, "Daddy can we have puppy?"

Jethro tensed for a moment, he didn't know if either of them were ready for such a commitment. He pushed himself up and leaned against the headboard. He pulled Kelly so she was sitting right in front of him. He held her hands in his and looked at her seriously.

"Kelly, a puppy is a lot of work and daddy works late sometimes. You are with Nana most of the time so the puppy will get lonely and sad when we're not here." He could see the disappointment on her little face as he tried to say no in the gentlest way possible.

"But Daddy, we take puppy with." Kelly stated firmly, as if it was the most logical solution to their predicament.

"Kelly it's not that easy."

Kelly scowled at him and huffed in defeat. She moved away from him and grabbed her bear before sliding of the bed and heading back to her room, clearly upset with her father.

Jethro shuddered at the thought of what she might be like when she was a teenager. Sighing he stood up and made his way to his daughters room. The walls were still the same soft warm yellow it had been when she had just been born. He found her next to her bed glaring at nothing in particular.

Kneeling next to her he pulled her to her feet and made her stand in front of him so she could look at him. He ruffled her curls a little before pulling her into a hug, "We'll think about it okay Kel."

"Okay." She sounded a little less disappointed this time.

Jethro finally risked taking a look at what the time was. He sighed softly, he only had and hour left before he had to pick Jenny up and drop Kelly of at her grandmother's. He pulled her back into a hug, soaking up each second of calmness she offered him.

* * *

Jenny groaned softly when her alarm went off next to her ear, she sighed a little when she hit it and stopped the incessant beeping. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, it felt like she had only closed her eyes for five minutes. She yawned and stretched at the same time trying to loosen up some of her stiff muscles.

There was activity in the lower level of her old Georgetown mansion, no doubt it was her housekeeper cleaning whatever little mess there was. Noemi had been an ever present presence since she had been eight years old. She had gone from housekeeper to mother-figure within months of her father hiring the Hispanic woman. They had come a long way since then and had grown very close. Jenny had come to see Noemi as her mother instead of that woman who had thrown away everything to chase some big European money-maker.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind she threw her covers to the side and trudged towards her en-suite bathroom. Hoping to wash a way the remaining fatigue.

Noemi dried her hand on a dish towel as she heard someone knock on the front door. She checked the elegant gold watch on her wrist and noted that he was in fact early. Making sure the coffee carafe was full, she headed towards the front door. She was extremely curious to finally meet this _Gibbs_ she had heard about for the last few months.

Opening the front door she met a pair of stunning blue eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that this was him, if Jenny's description was anything to go on she did this man no justice in saying he was handsome, he was gorgeous. Trying to hide a smile she gestured for him to come inside, she knew all to well that the younger woman had a slight crush on the man even if she did deny it.

"She will be down soon, do you want some coffee señor Gibbs?"

Jethro looked around the foyer taking in the rather historic and luxurious look the old house offered. He didn't know much about Jenny Shepard and the last thing he thought she had was money, she just didn't seem like the snob-ish type. He thought she had simply inherited the house from someone.

"Yes." He finally answered the woman who was clearly scrutinising him. She lead him to the kitchen and left him to sit at the island. He didn't wait long before a large cup was placed in front of him. He mumbled a soft thank you before taking a long drink. He licked his lips trying to savour as much of the dark brew as possible.

"Good coffee." Noemi smiled at him from across the kitchen and thanked him silently.

"She makes the best." Jenny spoke from the doorway, startling her house keeper.

"Señora Jenny, do not do that." She gave the young woman a scolding looking. She raised her eyebrows and indicated with her head towards the man sitting at the island. She saw the rosy colour her cheeks turned when Jenny looked at Gibbs. She shook her head and turned back to the dishes she was washing, she might be old but she wasn't blind, they liked each other the only one's who couldn't see it were themselves.

"How did you know where I live?" She hadn't told him we're she lived, and she didn't even pay attention when he had told her that he'd pick her up, she was that tired.

Jethro smiled at her, his blue eyes shining with something she just couldn't seem to place, "McGee." was his only response to her question.

Jenny rolled her eyes at him, she was going to have a serious talk with Tim, he shouldn't let everyone intimidate him so much.

"If you're done we can leave." Jenny threw over her shoulder as she headed back to the foyer.

Jethro finished the last of his coffee and handed his mug to Noemi, "Thank you." She smiled at him again and shooed him away.

It was dark and despite it being almost the middle of summer it was just a little cold. She suppressed a shiver before she was being teased about that too. In the last two hours he had become more irritating than he usually was, and his habits were driving her insane.

"Could you not do that?" She snapped at him again.

"Zee-vah you're no fun." Tony whined from the driver's seat. He continued to poke around his Chinese food with his chopsticks, determined to find the pieces of chicken he liked so much.

Ziva looked on in disgust and Tony stuffed his face with noodles once again. The noises he made while eating could make anyone want to strangle him, and add the fact that he was useless with chopsticks, making the slurping sounds that more disgusting.

"Can you please use a fork?" Ziva growled at him, coming perilously close to hitting him with her binoculars.

"You know what they say Zee-vah." He replied before slurping another mouthful of noodles.

"No I do not, what do they say Tony?"

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." He spoke with a mouth full of noodles.

Ziva looked at him confused, he was not making any sense, "Tony we are in Washington, not Rome. Besides the Roman's eat pasta with forks not chopsticks."

Tony looked at the Israeli as if she had grown another head.

"What?"

"Exactly even you do not understand!"

Tony was about to say something else when there was a knock on his window. He almost jammed his chopsticks down his throat when he heard it. He rolled down his window and looked at his boss a little sheepishly. "Hey Boss."

"If you're done DiNozzo we'll take over." Jethro said amused, taking in his agent's confused expression.

"Gibbs, please tell Tony that Romans do not eat with chopsticks."

Jethro looked at his senior agent equally confused, "What's she on about?"

Tony simply shrugged at his boss, "Don't know Boss, she's crazy."

Ziva hit Tony forcefully on the shoulder, causing him to yelp in surprise. He glared at her and poked his tongue out at her. He quickly scrambled and pressed himself against his door to avoid being punched by the Mossad Officer again. He grumbled and started the car, mumbling to himself as they drove off.

Jethro shook his head and smirked at the two agent who had just left. They offered great entertainment when they had a slow day, he had never thought Tony DiNozzo would have met his match and yet he did. Jethro looked around the darkened neighbourhood. It was the perfect place for some psycho to lurk in the dark.

He turned his gaze towards the dark sedan across the street. He was reluctant to get back in the car, he had determined – one night in the sanctuary that was his basement – that he really like Jenny Shepard and that it wouldn't hurt to know her a little bit more personally. But alas fate had thought it a bit boring and had thrown a serial killer at him to spice things up a bit. He was too caught up in catching this guy to actually make his move, he'd only drive her away instead of reeling her in.

Now as he stood on the darkened side walk he asked himself some serious questions. Did he really want to get involved with a woman who wrecked havoc with his emotions and like to boss him around? Who was he kidding, that's what he liked so much, not that he was going to let her in on that bit of information.

Jethro watched as she pulled her long red hair into a tight ponytail, revealing her neck and pale white skin even more. He wanted to touch her, feel her pulse flutter under his lips as he kissed her neck softly. This stakeout was going to be hell. No matter how much self-control he had or how grumpy and closed off he might appear, he was still just a man.

Trudging across the road he slipped into the driver's seat and closed the door as softly as possible.

Jenny bit her lip when the fresh gust of wind blew into the car and blew the strong scent of him right into her face. She should have thought this thing through before she had suggested they partnered up.

"Ziva's 'bout ready to kill DiNozzo." Jethro tried to get comfortable behind the steering wheel as he spoke. He reached beneath the seat and pushed it backwards, finally able to stretch his legs out in front of him.

"Aren't we all." She said jokingly.

"He's good Jenny, and you don't waste good. Rule five."

Jenny smiled to herself as she looked out the car window. Tony had a very annoying way to get under someone's skin and irritate them. Yet he was very loyal, something that was scarce in their line of work and in general and he cared for those close to him very deeply, and he hid it behind his goofy lover-boy persona.

Jenny breathed in deeply and noticed a very strange smell. She sniffed the air again before turning towards Jethro, who was currently relaxing in his seat staring out the windscreen with the binoculars pressed against his face.

"What is that smell?" It wasn't a particularly bad smell, but it was odd.

Jethro tossed the binoculars onto the dashboard and twisted in his seat, half leaning against the door to look at his partner for the night. He smirked at her almost disgusted facial expression, he stared at her a little while longer, noting that she seemed to become a little self-conscious as he stared at her. Leaning forward he pulled something from behind her seat.

Jenny stared down at him as his face almost pressed into her ribs. She shifted away from him a little uncomfortably, not risking to look into those blue orbs that could absorb her so easily. She was all too aware of him tonight to risk slipping up and kissing him accidentally, she wouldn't want to ruin the nice friendship they had started. She turned towards her window and looked out of it into the darkness, pretending to be looking at something.

Jethro sat back and rummaged through a brown paper bag. He pulled two white paper pails out of it and two pairs of chopsticks. He threw the empty bag to the back of the car and offered one paper pail to his companion, "Chow Mein?"

"And if I already had dinner?" She raised a perfect eyebrow at him, "Those extra calories I'd get from over eating I really don't need."

Jethro simply just looked at her, his face unreadable. He shrugged and placed the container on the dashboard, planning on eating that as well when he finished his own. He stuffed his mouth full of noodles and chewed it silently, ignoring the glare he was getting from his partner.

Jenny's stomach growled and she could feel the heat rising in her neck all the way to her cheeks, her skin taking on a soft pink hue. She closed her eyes against the embarrassment. She could hear Jethro stop mid-chew to look over at her. She grit her teeth and cursed her body for betraying her.

Jethro pushed the paper pail towards her followed by a pair of chop sticks. He gave her an arrogant smirk and returned back to his own food, "I like a woman who knows how to eat."

Jenny smiled to herself as she placed the container in her lap. His offhand statement was probably meant to make her feel a little more at ease around him, he had a strange way of making her feel comfortable and she liked it.

"You don't happen to have some soy-sauce in that paper bag of yours?" She had meant it as a joke, just to make some form of communication.

Jethro leaned across her again and opened the clove compartment. He pulled out a few packets of soy-sauce and dumped them in her lap.

"You're stranger than I thought. I always thought Tony was joking when he said you live in your basement, but I'm starting to believe him." Jenny teased him between bites of her Chow Mein.

Jethro just snorted and continued eating. If only she knew half of what his home life was like she'd be running for the hills in no time. She still didn't know that he had a daughter and that's how he wanted to keep it for as long as possible. He didn't need her sympathy each time she looked at him, and besides she didn't strike him as the type of woman who'd take kindly to having someone keep secrets from her.

After they had finished their take-out they had fallen quiet for a while. Each lost in their own thoughts.

The front door to the house they were staking out swung open, revealing to figures in the dim light spilling out onto the street. Jethro sat forward watching them through the binoculars.

"Who's with him?" Jenny asked next to his ear. She was almost sat on his lap, trying to see what he was seeing. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and tried to hide the fact that he liked her this close to him.

"A woman."

Both agents watched a little astounded as Pike kissed the woman and ushered her to her car. He closed the unknown woman's door before waving goodbye and heading back into the house. Jethro threw the binoculars back on the dashboard and sat back in his seat.

"Let's bust him." Jenny growled next to him as she sat back in her own seat.

"For what?"

"I don't know, cheating or something." Jethro laughed at her before relaxing a little more in her company.

They were quiet for a while, each enjoying the easy silence they shared between each other. Jenny moved in her seat trying to get more comfortable. The silence was slowly getting to her because her thoughts kept leaning towards the man sitting next to her.

She turned her green eyes on him, taking him in as he leaned against the window looking at the house. She had finally given up on telling herself he was bad news, she liked him end of story. He had a strange way of making her feel comfortable and not self-conscious about what she said or did. It didn't hurt that he looked so damn sexy when he was pissed off either.

He licked his lips and she couldn't help but watch as he did before sighing. She wondered if he'd slap her on the back of the head if she lunged at him and kissed him. Jenny caught herself for a moment, she was sure she was over tired, because no-one in their right mind would have the strange thoughts she was currently having.

Deciding it was the silence getting to her she broke the easy going atmosphere surrounding them.

"Tea, I'd give anything for a steaming cup of tea, especially if Ducky made it."

Jethro pulled his face in disgust, "That's disgusting Jen."

Jenny opened and closed her mouth quickly, the nickname threw her for a loop, her brow knitted together in confusion. No-one had ever called her _Jen_ before. "Jen?"

Jethro looked at her again, a small smile playing at his lips, "Yeah, everyone calls you Jenny."

It warmed her more than it should have that he wanted to call her something no-one else did.

"You have any nicknames Jethro?" He was quiet for a while trying to think of any other than Gibbs.

Jethro shook his head, "Nah, everyone calls me Gibbs. Had a girlfriend once who called me _Jay_."

"You sure it was a nickname, she wasn't thinking of someone else while she was with you?"

Jethro glared at her playfully. He didn't want to tell her that he was the one thinking of someone else when he had been with Rebecca. She hadn't been his finest of choices, she was a bit more than just slightly alcoholic and Kelly had refused to be nice to her since the moment they had met.

"No one ever call you Leroy?" Jenny asked out of curiosity, she had laughed when she had heard his first name, he hadn't struck her as a _Leroy._

She could see she had stuck a nerve with her question. She leaned closer to him and placed a hand on his arm. She rubbed his arm softly, "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." She didn't know why she said it, but something told her he wasn't really comfortable with being called by his first name. She had seen a brief flash of something that could have been pain in his blue eyes.

"Did I tell you Ziva was almost arrested the other day?" Jenny quickly changed the subject to something a little more humorous.

Conversation between them had seemed to flow easily after Jenny had changed the subject. Jethro had been thankful when she didn't prod about his change in demeanor. He had learned more about her in three hours than he had since she started working in D.C. They had become closer as well, sharing some of their close calls over the years. He'd even told her about some of his days in the Core and she had seemed genuinely interested in what he'd had to say.

"DiNozzo really kissed a man?" Jenny asked a little breathlessly as she tried to stop laughing to get her question out. She rested her forehead against Jethro's shoulder, trying to keep the tears at bay as she laughed with him.

She looked up after she had calmed down some, she was almost sat on the armrest of the centre console. Jethro was mere inches away, still trying to reign in his laughter. They both sobered up a little as they looked at each other. Jenny smiled at Jethro before sliding back to her seat.

Her blood was pounding in her ears and her heart was beating way faster than it should. She cleared her throat a little, trying not to look at the blue eyed agent next to her, but she hoped he had the same trouble calming down as she did. Jenny looked down at her hands, trying to occupy herself enough to prevent her from moving back to where she had been pressing herself against him again.

Things had suddenly turned very awkward between them as they sat in dead silence, each thinking about what almost happened. Jenny was still staring at her hands when she saw the thin white scar on her index finger.

"See this," She held her finger up for Jethro to inspect.

Jethro looked over at her and took her hand gently in his roughened one, he ran his thumb over her finger softly, feeling the thin white scar, "What happened?"

"I was ten when it happened, my friend accidentally slammed the car door shut and my finger got caught in it. Noemi almost had a heart attack when she saw it." She said laughing softly

Jethro shook his head and looked at his own hands.

"See that cut under my thumb," Jenny held his much larger hand in both of hers and tried to look at the scar in the poor light shining in through the windscreen coming from the lamp post. Jethro couldn't help but notice how warm her hands were on his. The same tingle he felt that first day travelled up his arm.

"Fell on a broken bottle when I was thirteen." He chuckled softly at the memory, "The beating I got hurt more than the cut itself."

Jenny shook her head at him and traced the scar softly, feeling the marred and roughened skin.

Jethro clenched his jaw tightly, he rarely shared stories with people. It dredged up too many memories of a time that had been a lot simpler and care free, a time where he hadn't been afraid of losing everything he held dear. But Jenny seemed to draw everything out of him, he wanted to tell her whatever she wanted to hear, he felt at ease around her and it was something he wasn't really used to.

He wanted to blame it on her eyes. Those dark emerald orbs enchanted him, making him feel things he hadn't felt in a long time. It felt as if she could see right through him, but it was the understanding and gentleness in her eyes that made his heart beat just a little bit faster.

Jenny let go of his hand and pulled the sleeve of her jacket up to her elbow. She held her arm up in the air, pointing at a light scar, running almost from her wrist all the way to her elbow. "Almost had twenty stitches because some idiot thought it would be funny to cut me. Almost blew our cover that night, Ziva made sure we got out alive at least."

Jethro felt a sudden anger rise in his chest, he didn't like the idea of someone hurting her or Ziva, but especially her. He suspected she had other scars, deeper ones, ones she didn't like talking about. Much like he had scars he didn't like talking about or showing others.

He noticed she seemed a bit uncomfortable and a little closed off all of the sudden, like she was reliving something that haunted her. He tried to catch her eye but she avoided his gaze at all cost, he grit his teeth and tried to let it go.

He took off his jacket all of the sudden, "I bet I can do you one better," he smiled at her faintly as he started pulling his polo shirt from his trousers.

Jenny stared at him a little surprised that he felt like stripping all of the sudden.

"Kate had missed on guy in a building we raided and the idiot rammed his knife right into me." He pulled his polo up to reveal a nasty scar right next to his navel.

"Ouch." It was all Jenny could say. She moved towards him and leaned closer to him. In a moment of pure impulse she slid her hand across his stomach, feeling the scar underneath her palm. She swallowed a little heavily at the warm smooth feel of his skin, and tried to hide her surprise at the hardness of his muscles.

Jethro tried to stop his body from reacting to her touch, but he couldn't hide the goosebumps that spread over his skin as her hand pressed against him even more.

Jenny looked up at him meeting his eyes, they were dark and smouldering and she felt herself move closer to him. She wanted to see the rest of the scars he had to offer. She licked her lips unconsciously as he leaned closer to her.

They were closer than before, their noses pressing against each other. Jenny's hand was still stroking the scar on Jethro's stomach, her other pushing her up so she could be closer to him. Jethro nudged his nose against hers softly, his free hand moving to the back of her neck pulling her a little closer.

His breath was hot against her lips, she wanted to crash her lips against his and kiss him until they were both breathless. Jenny closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable, she had waited three months for him to make his move, but he had acted as if the attraction was one sided.

She felt him tilt his head to come even closer, she sensed that his lips were almost on hers and her stomach fluttered in anticipation.

Jethro was about to kiss her, all he had to do was purse his lips a tiny bit and he'd be kissing her, but he was stalling, his nerves eating away at him.

A car drove by its horn blaring away in the quiet neighbourhood.

Jenny tensed and Jethro misread it as something else. He pulled away quickly and let go of her, dropping his polo- and under shirt.

Jenny bit her lip to stop herself from groaning in disappointment and extracted her hand from underneath his shirt and moved back to her seat, pressing herself against her door. She had been frightened by the car driving by and Jethro had taken it as something else. She wanted to slap him and shout at him to kiss her already. They'd been dancing around each other long enough and having to wait for him was really testing her self-control.

She leaned her head against the cool glass, it was suddenly unbearably hot inside the car which only heightened her sense even more. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down.

Jethro felt very uncomfortable, he was mentally hitting his head against the window, wondering how he could have possibly misread the situation so much. He swallowed his pride and cleared his throat a little, the last thing he needed was a sexual harassment claim against him.

"Jenny… I..." Jethro grit his teeth, why was he stuttering like McGee?

"Jen I didn't mean-" He was cut off.

"It's fine Jethro. Don't worry about it, nothing happened." Jenny said a little dejectedly, but he didn't notice.

Jethro gripped the steering wheel, he wanted to pulled her onto his lap and kiss her, kiss her until one of them couldn't breath. He didn't even bother to pull his jacket back on, his skin was still too hot from where she had pressed against him.

The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, it was awkward. They had built a rather strong friendship over the last few months, however this incident might have made that friendship a little shaky. A good thirty minutes had passed since Jenny had leaned her head back against the window again and hadn't said anything since.

Jethro heard her sigh and waited for the long explanation she'd be giving him on why something between them was such a bad idea, but nothing of the sort came next. His brow knitted together in confusing, he leaned forward and tried to see her face.

Jenny's face was pressed against the window, her mouth slightly open and her eyes shut firmly. She was fast asleep and looked very uncomfortable. Jethro touched her shoulder gently, trying to wake her so she could move other wise she'd have a stiff neck. She swatted his hand away and pressed herself even more into the door.

Jethro shook her again but she didn't wake up. He supposed the lack of sleep had really taken it out of her.

Gripping her arm firmly he pulled her so she moved towards him more. He wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her effortlessly onto the centre console. Jenny looked at him confused all of the sudden, he hadn't noticed she was awake.

"It's okay Jen, go back to sleep." She glared at him before resting her head on his shoulder. He'd never met anyone who could sleep so deeply within a few minutes.

Jenny pressed closer to him, snuggling closer to him and pressing her nose against his neck.

Jethro threw his jacket over her and held her just a little more tightly against him. He suspected that this was the closest he'd ever get to having her this close and he was going to take advantage of it while it lasted. He felt her hand fall to his on her waist and he wrapped his pinky around hers. He finally settled and kept a vigil, not only on the house but on his partner as well.

* * *

Wood, that's what she decided, that was the smell that had pulled her from the deep slumber. She didn't know where it came from but that was what she woke up to. She tried to stretch but something pressed into her hip holding her in place and squeezing her fingers a little.

She slowly opened her eyes, the grip on her hip loosened a little and she moved to hold whatever it was in place. She felt roughened fingers stroke her knuckles and suddenly her head snapped up to look at the person holding her.

His eyes were the bluest of blue, so soft and warm she wanted to look at him and lose herself in the depth of his eyes. Pulling away slightly, his jacket slipped off her shoulders and the early morning chill caused her to shiver slightly. Jethro reached over and pulled it back over her shoulders.

"Morinin'" Jethro grumbled at her, a warm smile curling the corners of his lips.

Jenny felt a blush colour her cheeks as everything came back to her. She hadn't meant to fall a sleep, but she had closed her eyes and fatigue had finally claimed her. She slid back in her seat and pressed her back against the door, looking at him with dazed green eyes.

"Hey," She said softly and returned his smile.

He stared at her and she at him, both relishing the quiet and comfortable moment between them. It wasn't awkward or uneasy, they took it in stride neither wanting to apologise for their actions of holding on to each other. After all, neither of them really regretted it.

Jenny opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the beeping of Jethro's beeper. She closed her mouth and pulled her phone from her jean pocket. She stuffed it in Jethro's palm. She bit her cheek to hide the laugh at his distasteful look of the piece of technology.

"You really need to get better acquainted with technology Jethro."

Jethro rolled his eyes at her and punched the number into the small piece of plastic. He could feel her eyes on him as he waited for someone to answer the phone.

"Gibbs." He growled at whoever was on the other side.

Jenny tried to draw her own conclusion from the one sided conversation, but it was no use, Jethro hardly said two word since making the call. She sensed his sudden change in mood, and the unpleasant man he'd been the last few days all of the sudden returned.

Jethro tossed her phone at her and started the car.

"Metro just found another body."

* * *

 _I know a little OOC for Gibbs but remember, he's not as haunted as he is in the show._


	7. The unexpected Dinner Guest

**Disclaimer:** _I own nothing._

 **A/N:** _Thanks for the reviews, they make my day. To those who added it to their favourites and who followed, thank you._

 **Warning:** _Spoilers for season 3 in a way. There was very little information on the Kyle Boone case actually, so most of this is my imagination. I'm no doctor or anything so things might seem a little far fetched. Mistakes are mine and I apologise for them. Also angst really isn't my thing, so let me know if it was bearable, anything is helpful._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon casting the entire city in a soft orange glow. Nature was just coming to life, breaking the eerie almost unbearable silence that surrounded everyone present. Tony pulled the cap from his head, running a hand through his hair. He glanced at McGee, who tried not to show how much this was getting to him. He spotted Ziva and Kate talking to the young farmer who had found the body on his morning bike ride.

Placing the cap back on his head he walked down the small path to where they had found the body. Everything looked exactly the same, from the carved heart to the way the body was strung up by the arms in the tree. Tony pressed a hand against his nose, the heavy scent of blood was stronger than it had been with the first body. He swallowed a little heavily, there seemed to be more blood this time around.

Tony came to a stop next to McGee who had been busy bagging evidence, he nudged his shoulder softly, trying to see if the young agent was still coping. When he was met with a glare he was a little more at ease that he was okay. He had already taken pictures of the crime scene, they were now just waiting for Ducky and Gibbs.

"Tony," McGee said a little hesitantly, he clearly struggled to find the right words, "have… have you noticed anything similar about the two victims?"

"Yeah Probie," Tony said in a hushed tone, "they look almost the same." Tony gave Tim a somewhat worried look.

Both victims seemed to have very similar features and what scared them the most was that they had very similar features to Ziva and Kate.

"But only one of them is Navy, so we have to assume that he picks his victims according to how much they look like each other." Tim said a little more worried than he would have liked to sound.

The Dodge skidded to a stop on the dirt road, kicking dust clouds up in the air. Jenny braced her hand against the dashboard, hoping to prevent herself from crashing into it. If it hadn't been for Ziva's bizarre and dangerous driving she would have been scared out of her mind with Jethro's. She shot him a dirty look as he killed the car and simply got out of it.

Stepping out of the car she smoothed her hair down a little, despite having forced the wavy red strands to be straight, they were already trying to return the their curly-self. Tightening her ponytail a little she trudged behind Jethro.

The slightly unguarded and charming man who had been with her last night had disappeared the moment he had thrust her phone back in her hand and took off. She had seen a strange look his eyes as they drove in silence. It was more than anger, she'd seen him angry before. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind she hurried to catch up with him. She almost ran into him as he stopped all of the sudden.

He shot her a mild glare as she bumped his shoulder gently as she came to stand next to him. She used the cuff of her jacket to block out the stench. It was only then that she realised she was still wearing his jacket over her own, she looked ridiculous in the oversized jacket but she could care less, it was cold and she was keeping it on.

"Mitch." Jethro growled in greeting as the middle-aged man stopped next to him, a cigarette already between his lips, puffing away at it. Mitch grunted in reply, too busy staring at the redhead. He waited until she looked at him before giving her, what he hoped was a charming smile.

Jenny simply stared at him, feeling slightly uncomfortable that he was trying to be charming at a crime scene – it was something she would have expected from DiNozzo, not from a man who was wearing a gold wedding band on his left ring finger. Jethro looked at her all of the sudden, she gave him a slightly pained look. She wanted to make a snide remark but bit her tongue, now was not the time.

Jethro looked at Mitch noting the suggestive smile on his face, he glared at him darkly, feeling a little more territorial over Jenny than he was probably allowed to be, "Anything you'd like to share before we take the case?" Jethro asked tensely.

"Nope, only that he'd been more brutal this time around." Mitch said, smoke coming out of his mouth as he spoke. Jethro nodded, indicating that their little conversation was over and that he could leave.

Jenny had stepped away from the two men, trying to get a better look of where the young woman had been strung up. She studied the thick brush that surrounded them, trying to see if anything seemed out of place or unnatural. Out the corner of her eye she could see the detective, she now knew as Mitch, approach her.

She had to tilt her head up a little to look up at him, he was smiling at her again and she couldn't help but feel even more uncomfortable. He held out a white, slightly crumpled business card.

"If you need help with the case, call me," He was already pulling another cigarette out of his breast pocket, "or if you want to talk about it over a drink."

Jenny turned the white card in her hand, looking at it for a moment, contemplating what she was about to say. Looking up she flashed him a perfect smile before biting her lip slightly and looking over her shoulder where Jethro was busy talking with Ducky.

Making sure of his name on the card she looked back up at him, "I'm sure whatever it is I have trouble with, Agent Gibbs would be more than competent to help me with it." Jenny smiled again and slipped the card back in his front breast pocket and tapping him gently against his chest, "You have a very nice day."

Jenny waited until the detective was a good distance away before allowing her irritation to show, "Asshole." She heard the four younger agents along with Palmer chuckle before returning back to their work. She risked a glance at Jethro and met his blue stare, he was hiding it but she could see the subtle quirk his lips held as he looked at her.

Jethro turned his attention back to what Ducky was saying, "As you can see there is a lot more bruising around her neck, meaning she had struggled and probably fought but he overpowered her."

"Time of death Duck?" Jethro asked a little irately.

"Taking in the already blue colour of her skin. I'd say, oh I don't know, two weeks ago give or take a few days." Ducky looked up at the agent.

"Was she raped?" Jethro asked in his usual growling fashion. He looked up when he saw Jenny approach them.

"Most probably, it's not likely that he'd change his M.O." Ducky fell silent again, he seemed to be thinking for sometime, "Although I once came across a case where the murders had been the same but each time the killer cut of a different finger from his victims hands."

"Duck..." Jethro warned tensely, he didn't miss the glare Jenny shot him when he had interrupted the good doctor.

"Ah yes, well I'll know more when we get her back to autopsy. Mister Palmer!"

Jethro stood back up straight from where he had been crouching next to Ducky, he grit his teeth against the pain that shot through his knee. He left quickly before he had to listen to Ducky drone on about his story, he could see Jenny was clearly interested.

He took in his surroundings, something felt off. There was nothing that seemed to be out of place, and yet his gut told him there was something he wasn't seeing. He turned back to where the path lead to the dirt track they had come from. Something behind him moved and he quickly snapped back around.

Jethro felt a shiver run down his spine, his gut clenched and he could have sworn someone had been looking at him, at them. Resorting back to his marine training, he listened to the wild life around him. Listening for anything that seemed to be out of place.

He waited for a long while, listening to the birds sing. He turned back around and distinctly heard the distressed flapping coming from the birds as a branch snapped.

Without a second thought he pushed through the thick vegetation, his Sig already in hand.

Heading in the direction the snapping had come from he could feel his senses kicking into over drive, he was aware of the five people who had rushed in behind him, each struggling to get through the vegetation. He could make out something moving right in front of him and he tried moving a little faster, not wanting to let the opportunity slip to catch their killer.

Jethro felt Jenny right beside him, her Sig drawn as well. Catching her attention he motioned for her to go to the left. Looking to his right he saw Tony already heading in the opposite direction.

Pushing forward, he saw a figure move through the branches and pushed through. He almost stumbled into a small clearing, shouting at who ever it was. "NCIS!"

Jethro felt his heart thud in his ears as adrenaline ran through him.

The figure moved closer and he took aim.

"Gibbs it's me."

Jethro dropped his arms, "Damn it Ziva!"

Jethro holstered his weapon and scratched the back of his neck in irritation, somehow he had missed Ziva slipping past them. He hadn't even realised she wasn't behind him when he had checked to see where Kate and McGee were. He realised how close he had come to almost shooting her.

"Don't ever do that again!" He snapped at her irately.

Ziva simply stared at him, not daring to snap back at him. She watched as he headed back to where they had come from. Tony made his way towards her, a rather impressed look on his face as he sidled up next to her. He holstered his own weapon and raised his eyebrows at her.

"Pretty impressive. Sneaking up on Gibbs like that." He smiled at her, but she didn't return his smile.

Ziva left him standing by himself, wondering what had just happened in the space of two minutes. He would have bragged about it for days if he had been the one sneaking around like that. He heard Jenny come up beside him, her hands on her hips.

"She looks up to him." Jenny informed him silently. She gave him a long look, warning him that he better keep that little bit of information to himself. She'd seen Ziva go through hell while working under her father, and the Mossad Officer had let it slip one drunken night that she admired Jethro tremendously.

Tony was left standing alone, he mulled over what Jenny had told him. He'd never thought Ziva would seek approval, from anyone.

He supposed some people where more broken than they appeared to be.

* * *

Kate groaned in pain as her head throbbed and her body twitched from a lack of rest. She'd been working for Gibbs a year and still she hadn't grown used to the ridiculous work ethic he demanded from them when they worked such a high profile case. Despite the few hours of sleep she had gotten the previous night, her body was still greatly deprived from rest. She had thought she was the only one, but when she saw McGee asleep on their way back to Head Quarters, she didn't feel that lonely any more.

She narrowly missed the paper ball Tony had chucked at her and glared back at him. She ran a hand through her slightly knotted hair and moaned again, "Why did we have to take this case as well?" She whined like a petulant child at her co-workers.

"Because we work for Gibbs." Tony said from behind his desk looking equally worn out and tired.

"Why did we get this case?" Tim asked from behind his computer, his eyes still glued to his screen, "It's not like the latest victim is Navy."

"Our Federal card trumps Metro's" Tony said through a yawn, not even bothering to put a hand in front of his mouth. He smacked his lips and looked around the bullpen. "Hey where's the other two?"

Tim ignored him and Kate just looked at him though narrowed eyes. Tony pursed his lips and leaned back in his chair, "They can't just disappear and leave us to do the brunt work," He folded his arms over his chest, "I bet it's because Jenny got on the boss' good side and now they get away with anything." Although he seriously doubted Gibbs had one.

There was no snide remark from Kate or even an eye roll from McGee.

"Jethro has a good side?" An alto voice asked form behind DiNozzo.

Tony simply turned his chair around, meeting the woman who had asked the question face to face. He felt a little more brave with a partition between the two of them and simply raised a pair of knowing eyebrows at her. He'd seen them together earlier that morning and he sure as hell had seen the look they had shared after she had sent Detective Hill on his way.

"Where is Gibbs anyway?" Jenny asked as she made her way around the partition and stopped behind Jethro's desk, taking a seat she looked at the three agent's expectantly.

They all looked between each other, each shrugging. Gibbs had only doled out demands before heading towards the elevator in a mood they hadn't seen in quite a while. He didn't even say where he was going.

Tony looked at the small clock on his desk, noting the time. He finally clicked that he most probably went to pick Kelly up from her grandmother's and dropped her off at preschool. He did it occasionally when they had to work through the night. Although he hadn't done it the last four days, and Tony had a strange feeling that this case somehow got to him more than usual.

It raised the silent question of what had happened to Kelly's mother.

"Uh… don't know, probably went for coffee." McGee piped up when he realised neither Tony nor Kate was going to give an answer.

"You find anything on our latest victim yet?" Jenny asked, looking around Jethro's desk while she had the opportunity. When she looked up she saw all three agents assembled in front of her, she gave them an impressed look and motioned for them to continue.

"Jessica Burns was the same age as Petty Officer Rivera, apart from being the same age neither of them had that much in common. I think this guy just pick women at random." Kate closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Jenny.

Everyone looked at Tim, "Uh… well I went through Burns' bank accounts, seems one account is more active than the other. She has quite a few phone calls a day-"

Tony suddenly interjected, cutting McGee off, "That's because Jessica Burns works from home giving other women manicure and pedicures." Tony turned and waved his finger in front of Kate's face, trying to annoy her even more.

Kate grabbed Tony's fingers in a firm grip and bent them backwards. Tony's mouth opened and closed in pain before he let out an almost hysterical yelp, "Ow!" He glared at her she laughed at him. "You're spending too much time around Ziva." He mumbled as he tried to ease some of the pain in his fingers.

Jenny glared at the two agents from behind Jethro's desk, feeling a rather strong urge to resort to head slapping them both. She turned her attention back towards McGee, "Anything else that you guys found?"

"I checked to see if Burns' had any contact with Pike at the time of her murder." McGee said slowly, "He was out of the country for three weeks on a conference at the supposed time Burns was killed."

Jenny was chewing her bottom lip, trying to sort through all the information she had just been given. She nodded her head slowly after McGee had finished. They had a little more to work with this time, and with the sheer brutality Jessica Burns had been murdered, she was more than confident he had slipped up along the way.

"Good job McGee." Jenny praised the young agent, something Gibbs wasn't known for doing.

"Tony, you and McGee go speak with Burns' family. See if she had told them about someone following or bothering her. Kate and I will work thing on this end." Jenny didn't wait for them to agree or argue with her.

Tony quickly grabbed his backpack, the keys to one of the Dodge Chargers already in his hands. He waited for McGee impatiently, rolling his eyes when the agent almost fell over his own feet, "Geez McClumsy, didn't you sleep last night?"

"Shut up Tony." Tim snapped at Tony as he shuffled past him, not trying to show how tired he really was.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Hey McGee, did I ever tell about that girl I dated who was beautician?" The Italian didn't even wait for McGee to reply before he delved into telling him the story, "She did this thing with her nails, where she-"

The silver doors of the elevator slid closed and the whole squad room fell silent again. Jenny massaged her temples, trying to stop the on coming headache. Her body was protesting against the little sleep she had gotten over the last five days. She had even seen Jethro's team suffer under the ridiculous pressure he put all of them under. If he didn't let up any time soon to give them a break they we're all going to collapse, or die.

The bustle of the bullpen suddenly became unbearable and she wanted to hide some place quite. Fishing though Jethro's desk drawer she took one of the various packets of gum he hid in his drawer. Popping the piece in her mouth, she enjoyed the sudden cool feeling the gum caused on her tongue.

The previous night came back to her all of the sudden. If she had kissed him last night, what would he have tasted like, coffee or spear mint? If he wasn't drinking coffee he was chewing gum.

"I'm going down to Ducky's, do you want to join me?" Jenny asked Kate, the barest hint of concern evident in her voice.

Kate looked up from all the files she had been going through the last five days, still trying to compile some form of profile for their serial killer. She licked her lips slowly and shook her head minutely before smiling at the redhead.

"No you go ahead. I'll just soak up the rare silence." Jenny gave her a knowing smile before heading to the back elevator.

Ducky pulled the latex gloves off his hands, enjoying the fresh air that caressed his skin. Taking off the dirty scrubs he stretched, trying to get rid of the painful knot that had embedded itself right underneath his shoulder. He heard Palmer bump into something and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Mister Palmer be more careful would you."

"Sorry doctor, it's just I don't always see where I'm going and then I walk into things." Jimmy said nervously from behind him.

"Well I suggest you be more careful." Ducky threw over his shoulder as he walked towards his desk in the far corner of the morgue. The automatic doors slid open behind him and he heard someone come in, "Ah Jethro, perfect timing."

Ducky turned and felt slightly confused. He glared at Jimmy for smiling at him in amusement and quickly sent him on his way to take the samples up to Abby. He placed his glasses on his nose and offered his visitor a very warm smile, "My dear Jennifer, to what do I owe the pleasure."

Jenny smiled at the older man warmly and moved to sit in the chair next to his desk. She leaned her head against the cool tile wall and sighed softly. She heard the older man move around the room and could determine from where he clinked two cups together that he was going to make tea.

Ducky took a seat in his chair and examined the woman in front of him. He'd come to like her very much since she had started, especially when he listened to Tony recount how she and Jethro seemed to bump heads on occasion. He placed a warm hand on her knee and squeezed softly.

"Is Jethro being unreasonable?" He suspected that was the reason she had come down to see him, he very rarely saw her in autopsy except when they had a case and she had to be there.

"No. He's not even here, no-one knows where he is." She mumbled softly.

"Ah, I see." Ducky suspected he knew exactly where the man was, but he tried not to show it when he answered. He was still unsure whether Jenny and Ziva knew about his little secret. Very few people knew about young Kelly and no-one even dared to mention her name in fear of what her father might do.

"I think his team's about ready to quit at the pace he's having them work."

"Yes Jethro does have a tendency to do that, but maybe you can convince him to give them a break." Ducky didn't even hide the fact that he knew she had the ability to convince him.

Jenny's eyes snapped open, a strange look on her face, "He almost killed me the last time I said his team should take turns getting some sleep. What do you think he'd do this time?" Jenny was looking at Ducky with wide green eyes, clearly questioning the older man's sanity.

Ducky let out a loud chuckle, his grey eyes dancing a little with something, as if he knew something the redhead didn't, "I bet if you say the right thing he'd say yes."

Jenny laughed at the doctor, "Like what? I'd burn his boat." She joked lightly, she was still not sure whether she believed the story that Jethro was building a boat in his basement. She twisted the watch on her wrist, checking the time.

Ducky stood and set about making the two of them some tea.

Jenny took the cup with a grateful smile. She sipped the warm brew slowly, enjoying the unique taste of the tea. She closed her eyes when she took another sip. They were quiet for a while enjoying the companionable silence.

"Ducky I don't think I'd be able to go another day without a proper nights sleep." Jenny blurted out all of the sudden, the last few days stress crashing down on her, "It feels like were running in circles, each time we think we're close something else pops up."

Ducky looked at her sympathetically as she spoke.

"Jethro's tired as well, I can see it. He tries to hide it but I can see something is bothering him. He only went home for the first time last night." Jenny said incredulously.

Ducky's head snapped up at her words, he wondered if his face gave away his disapproval because Jenny gave him a knowing look before returning to her cup of tea. If what she had said were true it meant Jethro hadn't even seen Kelly in a few days and that didn't bode well with him.

The sliding doors to autopsy opened again and Jethro stepped through them. He looked between Jenny and Ducky and gave each of them a sceptical look. He turned a glare on Jenny, "Taking a break Jen?"

Jenny glared at him and drank from her cup again, not the least bit in the mood to argue with him. She cast Ducky a pleading look before draining her cup.

"What have ya got Duck?"

"My theory of when the young woman died was correct, it was before Petty Officer Rivera was murdered. He seems to have been more aggressive, there was a lot of dried blood on her thighs which had come from her sexual organs-"

Ducky trailed off when he took in Jenny's rather pale complexion, "My dear are you all right?"

Jenny shook her head a little, "I'll wait for you outside." She shot at Jethro before stumbling to the doors.

Ducky waited for her to leave before he continued, "I took the same samples as before, maybe we'd get something."

Ducky stood and motioned for Jethro to follow him towards the x-ray screen. He switched on the light, illuminating the x-rays they had taken. Ducky pointed towards the x-ray of the woman's ankle.

"There is a hairline fracture in her fibula near the ankle. Which only suggests that it must have happened during the event of him taking her and then eventually killing her."

Jethro nodded and turned to leave but Ducky stopped him, "Jethro I know that catching whoever is doing this is your top priority, but don't forget there is someone else that depends on you."

"I saw her this morning Duck, took her to school." Jethro growled a little tensely.

"Yes well it is not enough, she is at a critical age Jethro, she doesn't necessarily understand. I suggest you and the team go home early, start a fresh. There's no point in running them all into the ground." Ducky scolded his long time friend, there was nothing but concern in his voice as he regarded the other man.

"You a shrink too Duck?" Jethro asked lightly, not wanting to admit Ducky was right.

"No but I suggest you consider my suggestion."

Without replying Jethro was out of autopsy before anything else could be said. He slowed to a stop when he saw Jenny leaning against the wall near the elevator. He admired her for a while looking at her closely. He hadn't had the time to really process what had happened the night before.

When he had pulled her to lean against his shoulder, he had concentrated on looking at the house, and at the house only. He had even resorted to repeating his own rules in his head while she breathed in his neck, her perfume seeping into his senses. At one point during the stakeout she had laced her fingers with his and had sighed against his neck. He had fought hard against the urge to turn his head just slightly and pressing the softest of kisses to her lips.

"You like staring and glaring at people don't you?" Her sudden question brought him out of his train of thought.

He smiled to himself before jamming his finger on the white button that would call the elevator. He didn't give her and answer and simply stared up at the small black screen that indicated what floor the elevator was on.

Jenny cracked her eyes open when the elevator dinged and stepped in before him and leaned against the back wall, looking at him nonchalantly. He was glaring at her again and she couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her, it was the first sign that she was slowly starting to lose her conscious way of thinking.

They rode the elevator in silence all the way to the squad room floor. The doors slid open and Jenny moved quickly and blocked him before getting past her. Their chests were pressed together, his cool breath caressing her face softly. She bit her tongue to stop herself from kissing him, she wanted to know if he tasted the same way.

She noticed he was wearing the same jacket he had thrown over her. She forgot what she wanted to say when she stared up into his blue eyes, their blue depth betraying just how much their proximity was affecting him. She licked her lips, something she found she did often when he was staring at her mouth.

Realising that she was about to make a fool out of herself if she lunged towards him and he didn't return it she said the first thing that came to mind.

"You smell like a girl." She bit her lip and widened her eyes at herself. What was going on with her today?

Jethro looked at her for a moment before his lips curled into that annoying smirk he usually gave her when he was about to say something that would annoy her.

He leaned down, his head right next to hers his breath blowing in her neck, his cheek was almost pressed against hers as he whispered in her ear and she could feel him still smiling.

"At least I smell like you and not somebody else." He said huskily in her ear before forcing her to drop her arm and let him go past her.

It was her turn to glare at him for causing her to blush. She huffed slightly and stormed after him.

Kate and Ziva were huddled together each with a file in front of their noses, both enjoying the quietness that descended since Tony had left with McGee. Ziva drank from her straw, enjoying the sweet slightly sour taste her _Berry Mango Madness_ had to offer. Glancing around the bullpen she leaned in closer towards Kate.

"I think there are more victims." She said in a whisper, if Gibbs were to hear what she said they wouldn't be seeing their beds until they found whoever did this.

Kate gave her a look before slamming her file shut, "I've tried every contact I have over at the FBI, no-one can help me."

"I do not think our latest victim is going to be much help either, she as been dead for too long." Ziva stated firmly.

"Not one for false hope are you?" Kate asked with a laugh.

Ziva looked at her confused, she ran the words through her mind silently, trying to understand what it meant, "What is the point in hoping when it is false?"

Kate looked at her for sometime, mulling over what the Israeli had said, she didn't really know what it meant according to the dictionary definition. All she knew was that it was something people said in certain context.

"I'm too tired to even explain Ziva." The woman in question just shook her head minutely, there was no point in frustrating them both.

"You think Jenny can convince Ducky to convince Gibbs to give us the day off?" Kate asked as she drank from the tall white cup full of coffee Ziva had so graciously bought her.

Ziva shook her head when she saw Gibbs and Jenny storm towards the bullpen, if the flushed look on Jenny's face was anything to go by she doubted she got far with the convincing part.

"The two of you got anything?"

"Tony and McGee went to question Burns' family and see if there is any connection between these two women. Ziva and I," Kate said as she stood suddenly, grabbing her backpack, "are going to see if we can find anything at Burns' house."

Ziva grabbed her backpack and trailed behind Kate, looking over her shoulder she looked at Jenny pointedly. If she didn't get Gibbs to give them the night off she was going to hold to her threat of torturing him until he gave in.

* * *

There was a sea of people around them, pushing and bumping them all around the place. Taking a deep breath she gripped the tiny hand that was holding on to her and headed towards the exit of the busy store. It was the last time they came clothes shopping at this time of the year. It seemed as if everyone had decided that they needed summer clothes all of the sudden.

Joann sighed exasperatedly as yet another person bumped into her in their haste. She looked down at Kelly and saw that she too was fed up with being pushed around the busy store. She squeezed the little girls hand softly before tugging her gently in the opposite direction of the store. Without protest Kelly followed her grandmother wordlessly.

They passed several stores as they headed to a more quiet part of the mall. Joann silently wondered why she had thought taking her granddaughter shopping at noon on a Friday was such a good idea. Feeling the slight resistance tugging at her hand she looked down and saw Kelly struggle to keep up. Swinging her up and placing her on her hip she continued on their journey to find a restaurant to wait until the major rush of people had died down.

Kelly laid her head on her grandmother's shoulder and simply stared at all the people and stores they passed by.

Joann slipped into the nearest and quietest restaurant she could find and placed Kelly in the booster seat the waiter had given them on their way in. Taking a seat on the opposite chair she gave Kelly a relieved smile before she quickly placed their order with their waiter. When the toddler didn't seem to return her smile she felt the worry tug at her again.

"Kelly are you feeling all right?" Joann asked concerned, she stroked Kelly's hair and tucked a curl behind the girls ear, and tried to feel if she had a fever.

Kelly looked at her grandmother, her usually deep blue eyes dull in appearance. She placed her chin in her hands and braced them on the table looking every bit like her mother.

"I miss daddy." Kelly stated softly.

Joann sighed. She had tried to explain to her granddaughter why her father hadn't called of visited her before the previous day and even then he hadn't spent much time with her. Wringing her hands slightly she tried to think of a different way to explain exactly why Jethro hadn't been around the last few days.

"Kelly, remember when I told you daddy was Superman?" She waited for an answer before continuing, "Do you know what Superman does for a living?"

Kelly's small brows furrowed together, her forehead creasing slightly as she pulled her face in concentration, "He save people." She finally answered after a while.

"Yes he does, and do you know what else he does?" This time there was no reply, "He catches bad people, and that's what daddy does when he isn't around."

Joann waited for Kelly to finally accept her explanation, the little girl looked at her for a while. She could see her trying to understand what exactly she meant. After a few moments the little girl just nodded, not the least bit convinced her grandmother was telling the truth. It were times like these that Kelly's intelligence really did make explaining certain things almost impossible.

The waiter brought their drinks along with a picture and crayons for Kelly to keep herself busy. Joann watched her granddaughter closely as she talked to herself quietly, it was highly amusing to listen to the toddler talk about everything and nothing at the same time.

"Nana," Kelly looked up from the picture she was colour, "do you know why Jack not here?"

Joann shook her head, rather interested in why she had suddenly brought up the man's name.

"He in space because he is a astronut." Kelly stated matter of factly before returning to her picture of some well know cartoon character.

Joann suspected it was Kelly's way of dealing with her father not really being around the last few days, and since she had associated Jackson and Jethro with each other, it was her way of saying her father had something important to do. She did however wonder how she had come to be obsessed with space so much, but something told her it had to do with young Kyle.

Joann's ears picked up a bit when she thought she heard a familiar voice from further inside the restaurant. Playing it off as her imagination she turned back to the newspaper that had been on the table when they had been seated. She heard the distinct sound of heels on the tiled floor but didn't pay any attention.

She did however pay a bit more attention when the sound stopped right next to them. Looking up she stared up at a familiar face. One she had seen a few time in the past two years.

"Miss Fielding." The woman said kindly, a warm smile gracing her features.

"Diane, it's nice to see you." Joann replied.

Joann had introduced Diane and Jethro the day of Kelly's first birthday. She hadn't expected them to actually hit it off but evidently they had. Things did however take a turn for the worst though, it had appeared that Kelly hadn't liked her as much. She cried when ever she was near Diane and she had become more clingy than usually when she was with her father.

Later, it had turned out that Jethro wasn't really that fond of her either and soon they had gone their separate ways. Joann had really thought at one stage that, if Kelly had started to like Diane, they might have gotten married.

Diane looked over at the little girl, and the barest hint of sadness flashed in her eyes, "She looks just like him." She smiled when the little girl glanced at her before looking back down. "I suppose I have to thank him one day."

"For?" Joann couldn't help the curiosity that over came her.

"He introduced me to my husband."

"That Fornell fellow?" Diane nodded and smiled.

"If you'll excuse me I have to get back to work." The two women said goodbye and Joann was left alone with her granddaughter once again.

"I no like her." Kelly said out of the blue.

It was close to two when the two of them finally emerged from one of the clothing stores. Joann tried to manage the various bags as well as keeping Kelly close by and not having her wander off. She adjusted her handbag over her shoulder and took a firm hold of Kelly's hand. The mall was more quiet than before and made managing everything a lot easier.

"Kelly you still okay?" Joann asked as she navigated them towards the last store they had to stop at.

She didn't get a reply but felt a nod as they headed towards the pet shop.

The door to the pet shop swung open and the sound of barking puppies and various other animals emanated from the back of the store. Kelly looked up at her grandmother, her excitement clear on her face. They visited the pet shop rather often to buy Arthur all the things he needed, and it was one of the main reasons Kelly had started asking for a puppy.

"Nana I wanna see the puppies." Kelly whined softly, growing impatient with her grandmother for not having let go of her hand yet.

"Wait a little while Kelly, grandma's busy." Joann scolded the toddler.

The clerk behind the counter winked at her, showing her she'd handle finding everything they wanted. Joann thanked her silently and led Kelly towards the back of the store where all the puppies and kittens were.

Jethro had told her when he had dropped Kelly off that she hadn't stopped asking him if they could get a puppy. Joann had tried her best to hide the laughter and amusement at his rather not so subtle plea for her to get his daughter to stop asking him. She had remembered Shannon at that age who, much like Kelly, could keep begging until they were blue in the face.

They walked past the various pens with puppies in them, each breed looking more adorable than the first. Joann watched as Kelly fussed over each puppy, asking her if they could keep it. They were standing in front of the pen with Great Danes when Kelly suddenly turned to her grandmother seriously.

"Nana that one, can we keep him?" Joann tried to see which one she was pointing to. The large grey puppy looked at them before returning to playing with on of the other puppies. Joann tried to think of the easiest way to let Kelly down.

"How about we keep looking?" Joann gently helped Kelly along.

They wandered through all the pens, there all sorts of puppies for sale, from Great Danes to Yorkshire Terriers. Kelly didn't seem as interested in the rest as she was with the puppy from earlier. They were coming to the last pen and they both peeked inside to see what breed it was.

Kelly looked disappointed when she saw that all the puppies were gone. She was about to stomp off back to the other pens when the basket moved and a small head popped up from underneath all the blankets. The puppy jumped out of the basket and hurried towards the wired edge, its pink tongue poking through the squares as it tried to lick Kelly's face.

Joann looked at Kelly and the small Boston Terrier puppy in amazement. The two of them seemed to have taken a liking to each other instantly. Kelly squealed as the puppy licked her face excitedly, it barked at her and continued to lick her face.

"Nana I want this one."

Joann felt her hear constrict as she looked between Kelly and the puppy. She knelt to her level and let the puppy lick her finger, "Honey we can't take a puppy. Your daddy said no."

Kelly's lower lip started to quiver as she looked up at her grandmother, her blue eyes pleading with her grandmother. Leaning in, she tried to kiss the puppy on the nose as tears streamed down her cheeks, her tiny body already shaking as she sobbed quietly.

Joann scooped Kelly up off the floor as best she could with all the package in her hands. She heard the puppy whine as they walked back they way they came. Looking back she saw it sulking as it climbed back in the basket looking at them with large brown eyes.

"Bye bye puppy." Kelly mumbled, as she tried to wipe away the tears against her grandmother's shoulder.

The clerk smiled at them as they reached the high counter, she looked at Joann sympathetically. She'd seen more than her fair share of crying children who couldn't get the animal they wanted.

Joann handed over her card and looked back at the Boston Terrier puppy, "The Boston Terrier, does he or she have an owner yet?"

"No he doesn't have an owner, he was brought in this morning. Seems like he's the runt of the litter, all his brother and sisters were sold within three hours." The clerk answered.

Joann gave the woman a smile and took her card back. She grabbed the small package and headed towards the door again, still trying to console a heartbroken Kelly.

It seemed that Kelly had not taken the news very well as they arrived back home. She was still sniffling as they walked through the front door. She headed towards the living room leaving her grandmother in the foyer. She scampered onto the couch and curled herself into a ball.

Arthur's paws scraped against the wooden floor as he came from the kitchen into the living room, looking for the little girl excitedly. He jumped onto the couch and crawled towards her silently. He pressed his cold snout against her arm and licked her hand. He whined when she didn't give him any sort of attention. He jumped onto her lap and wriggled himself against her trying to get her to play with him.

"No, go away." Kelly said sadly and tried to hide her face from the Chinese Crested. She glared at him as he looked at her, his head tilted to the side a little. Not giving up he crawled towards her again and this time was rewarded with a scratch behind the ear.

Joann watched from behind the door. She had considered buying the puppy right there and then but she'd have to take it up with Jethro first before she went ahead and did it. Placing the various bags on the floor she headed into the kitchen. The number of the pet shop was on her fridge, she looked at it for a long moment, leaving the poor puppy and forgetting about him was harder than she thought.

* * *

Everyone from Abby to Ziva were glaring at Tony, none of them entertained by his stupid prank. Kate slapped the Italian on the back of the head forcefully. On any other day she would have snickered at the stunt he had just pulled, but not today. She turned towards McGee and motioned for him to come closer.

Tim glared at Tony as he shuffled towards Kate, trying everything to look as intimidating as possible. Something that proved to be impossible as Tony cackled loudly when he glanced at him. McGee was far from intimidating with a keyboard stuck to his face. Tim tried to pull the keyboard away form his face.

Ziva tried to help him by pulling his head in the opposite direction as Abby and Kate tried to pull the keyboard the other way.

"Ow!" Tim cried as the skin on his cheek was pulled painfully, "Stop! It hurts."

"Stop being a baby McCrybaby. It can't be that bad, I only used a little bit of super glue." Tony pushed Kate and Abby out of the way and tried pulling the keyboard. When the piece of plastic didn't budge he stepped back and looked at McGee with wide eyes, finally realising his mistake.

"We might need to cut off your cheek." Tony grinned at him.

Abby slapped Tony on the back of the head causing him to sober up a little, "Shame on you Tony. Why do you always pick on Timmy?"

Tony raised an eyebrow at her and pointed towards the man in question, "Look at him."

They all fell silent when they heard the clear thunder of heavy boots coming from the elevator and storming into the lab. They each tried to look as innocent as possible, but it was no use with McGee having his keyboard stuck to his face.

Jethro stopped in his tracks and gave the young man a strange look. He looked between him and Tony as they stood next to each other. He turned a narrowed look onto his senior field agent, "Havin' fun horsin' around DiNozzo?"

Tony had the good grace not to answer at all.

Jethro looked at Tim and shook his head, "What have you all got?"

Each of the team looked at each other, forcing the other to talk.

"We found signs of a struggle when we entered the Jessica Burns' house. We checked for finger prints or anything that could lead us to our killer." Ziva spoke, looking Gibbs straight in the eye, not wanting to show that his reaction towards her that morning had affected her.

"McGee and I spoke to her family. They say she didn't mention anything about being followed, but she did feel uneasy the last few nights. She had called her brother saying she felt like someone was watching her." Tony said seriously.

"And I have been running test since this morning and my babies are as tired as I am by now." Abby piped up from behind the group of agents, "What did you and Jenny find, Gibbs?"

"Both women frequented the same bar. Jenny's out now askin' them some questions."

Tony was about to say something when all three of the other agents glared at him to keep his mouth shut.

"McGee go see Ducky to get that thing of your face. The rest of you get back to your desks before you're all fired."

Abby watched as her friends left one by one. She turned back towards Gibbs, her face lighting up when he held out a Caf-Pow towards her. She took it with a grateful smile and kissed his cheek quickly. He patted her back softly and guided her back to her workstation, pointing towards the computer screen so she could tell him what she had found.

"Ducky was right, there was something left behind from all the bleeding. Wanna guess what it is?"

"Not really." Jethro growled at her.

"You're no fun any more Gibbs. There was a time where you would have guessed what I had found."

"Abby..." Jethro warned tensely.

"There was DNA that didn't belong to our victim. I've isolated it and it's running, maybe this guy had some rare sickness that could narrow down our suspects." She pulled Jethro by the arm towards the metal table behind them, "I found a smudge of a fingerprint on her belt buckle. I'm running it now, there's only one point, not much to go on but I'll find him Gibbs I promise. We need to find this guy before he strikes again."

Abby turned towards Gibbs, a confident smile across her dark lips.

Jethro smiled and kissed her forehead, "Abs go home when you're done. Get some rest."

"What about you Gibbs? If you're staying I'm staying." Abby stomped her foot, glaring at him.

Jethro couldn't help the soft laugh, she acted just like Kelly sometimes. He pulled her into a hug and rubbed her shoulders, "We're all going home Abs. We'll pick this up bright and early tomorrow morning."

Jethro left the Goth to stare after him as he left her lab and got in the elevator. Slamming the button for the third floor he waited as it ascended.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. There was an incessant pounding in his head as he rode the elevator. Ducky's words had raced around his head all morning. Did he really forget about his daughter in his hunt to get this guy before he killed again? He felt ashamed and could almost hear Shannon scolding him.

He'd decided sending the team home was for the best. They were all irritated with each other, especially Kate and Ziva, they were a hairs breadth away from snapping Tony's neck for no reason. He himself were moments away from firing all of them for being so petulant at times. He'd bet a large sum of money the first person to shoot his team mates for screwing with him, would be Tim.

Jethro snorted as he remembered McGee with the keyboard stuck to his face. He shook his head and schooled his features as he stepped out of the elevator.

He entered the bullpen and found Jenny behind his desk, her feet propped up on his desk and her eyes closed. He could see that her mouth was pulled in a thin line as she tried to fight against the pain that she was experiencing.

"Shepard you find anything?"

Jenny's one eye popped open, she smacked her lips and sat a little straighter in her, _his_ , chair. She cleared her throat, "They remember seeing the women on occasion. Neither was there with the other, each came and left separately. Bartender says he can't remember seeing anyone suspicious but he'll keep us informed when he notices something out of place."

Jenny closed her eye again and scooted back down, resting her head against the back of the chair.

"Go home, get some sleep. I want you all back in here at seven, then we go over everything again." Jethro shot over his shoulder as he moved to around his desk.

Tony shot out of his chair and grabbed his backpack off his desk. He didn't bother with a goodbye or the elevator, he was determined to leave before Gibbs turned around and said he was joking.

Jenny was staring up at Jethro in shock, all the pain having disappeared form her face. She looked at him questioningly, wondering what exactly Ducky had said to get him to agree to give them all the night off. She didn't want to question him and so quickly made her way to her own desk.

Tim came around the corner of the bullpen, already scanning the area for DiNozzo. His co-worker's antics had left him with a nice red burn-like mark on his cheek. He clenched his jaw when he saw that the man was in fact gone. He looked at Kate questioningly as she packed her backpack. She simply shook her head and showed that he better do the same.

Jenny was back in front of Jethro's desk, looking at him a little warily. She contemplated whether her next move was the smartest she could come up with. She shifted from one foot to another, feeling rather nervous as memories of the previous night rushed back to her. The feel of his hard body pressed against her was something she hadn't experienced in a while.

She bit her lip nervously before taking the plunge. What was the worse that could happen? If she were lucky she might be even be getting that kiss she had spent her drive back to the Navy Yard fantasising about.

"Jethro?" She asked softly not wanting the others to hear, but she doubted she succeeded.

"Yeah," He replied as he packed his own backpack.

Ziva had heard the uncertainty in her friends voice, and was interested in what could make the woman so nervous.

"Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?" Jenny looked at Jethro's face closely, trying to read his reaction.

"No." Came his short reply.

Jenny rolled her eyes before replying rather agitatedly, "Jethro it's not a date, just dinner between colleagues."

Jethro looked up from his desk drawer, he was hiding the smile that was threatening to escape. In all honesty he really did want to join her for dinner, he wanted to get to know her even better. He realised that if he were to say yes he'd have to introduce her to his daughter, and that usually sent them running. He could only imagine how awkward things would get around the office if that were to happen.

He felt like saying no as well, he wanted to spend each spare moment he had with his daughter since he hadn't seen her all that much. He discreetly checked the time, noting he had more than enough time to spend time with Kelly. Leaning back in his chair he looked at her guardedly.

"Mind if I bring a date?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Your joking right?" Jenny asked, sounding almost winded.

"Nope." Jethro replied seriously.

Jenny stared at Jethro, her confusion and anger clear on her face. She felt her blood boil in her veins. She looked over her shoulder and could see Ziva glaring at him as well. She had wondered if the Israeli had realised that she liked him, and judging by the look on her face she doubted he was doing very well by her standards.

Kate and McGee glanced at each other. They knew who Gibbs was talking about and they couldn't help but share a rather secretive smile.

Jenny forced a smile, she'd realised that if she said no the dinner would be more than just _dinner._ Reigning in her anger a little she tried to answer without showing her disappointment.

"Sure, why not." she said sarcastically, "see you at seven."

Jethro watched in fascination as she stormed to the elevator with Ziva trailing behind her. He didn't miss the glare the other woman had shot him as the doors closed. He returned to packing up his things.

* * *

 _The early summer sun felt warm on his face as he stood in the open field, enjoying the moment of just relaxing and forgetting about all the worries that plagued him. He took a deep breath and the distinct smell of lavender and strawberry surrounded him, calming him even more. He didn't have to open his eyes to know she was there with him, surrounding him. A lazy smile graced his features when he felt her hand slip into his._

" _Always thought you smelled like summer." He opened his eyes and there she was, her hair seemed to be on fire as the sun caught the fiery strands just right. She was smiling up at him, her eyes shining more than usual._

" _And you smell like Chinese take-out." She said with a soft chuckle._

 _Jethro shrugged casually and pulled her closer to him, fisting his hands in her hair gently, he pressed a kiss to her forehead._

 _They were brought from their embrace by a soft giggle next to them. Shannon smiled at him again and scooped Kelly up and held her tightly against her. He registered that they both looked like angels as they stood before him in white._

 _Jethro felt his chest tighten when the reality of what he was seeing sunk in. He knew it wasn't real, knew that he'd never see his wife interact with his daughter. He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to say something, anything just to keep them together like this._

 _He squeezed his eyes shut, opening them he felt his heart sink. Shannon wasn't stood before him, but someone else definitely was. It wasn't Diane or Stephanie but **her**. He looked between her and Kelly briefly wondering how he had suddenly replaced his wife with Jenny Shepard._

 _Kelly was still smiling as she wrapped her arms around Jenny's neck and the two of them walked off, into the woods. Jethro stared after them trying to process what he was seeing._

 _The heat that had warmed him from earlier had suddenly left, leaving him with a sense of fear. He couldn't see them in the lush woods, but he knew they were there somewhere. His gut tightened and he knew that it wasn't because of anticipation._

 _Something was wrong._

" _Jen, Kelly! You still okay?!" He waited for a reply but none came._

 _He felt his blood run cold as he heard his daughter blood curdling scream. His heart hammered in his chest as he set off in the direction they went. He couldn't see, the sun from earlier had disappeared with them, but his feet carried him through the darkness, as if he knew exactly where they were._

 _Jethro felt his lungs burn with the lack of oxygen as he saw his daughter covered in blood, the beautiful white dress she had been wearing stained with not hers, but Jenny's blood. Tears were running down her cheeks, her blue eyes pleading with him to help her, to save her from the monster who had done this to her._

 _He knelt to console her, to hide her from this nightmare, but when he reached out to touch her she was gone – and the blood that had been on her was smeared all across him. The stained white dress clutched in his hands._

 _He yelled for Jenny to help him._

 _His ability to move, to speak or to breath had left him. The woman was right in front off him, strung up by her arms like all the other women. He could hear someone laughing at him, taunting him. He grit his teeth to stop the tears._

 _Was this his punishment for what he had done to another man's family?_

Jethro bolted upright on the couch, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. He balled his fists to hide the fact that he was shaking just a little bit. The television was blaring away in the corner as the cartoon characters played on the screen.

Jethro scanned the area, trying to familiarise himself with his surroundings, trying to determine where he was. He quickly realised that he had fallen asleep on the couch and that Kelly was around somewhere since the TV was on. He stood quickly when he realised it was too quiet.

A loud crash from the kitchen alerted him of where his daughter was. Moving as quickly as he could he entered the kitchen. He relaxed a little when he saw that it was only a glass bottle that had fell and broke.

Kelly looked up at her father, her lower lip already quivering as she saw her father looking at her, with what she thought was anger. She squeezed her grey bear close to her chest and tried to hide the fact that she was scared he might scold her for waking him up. She took a step back when he moved closer.

"Kelly don't move." Jethro spoke softly, trying to assure her he wasn't angry, just terrified that he had thought someone had taken her.

He stepped over the mess and glass on the floor and picked her up. He tried to take her bear form her and it was only then that he realised she was crying. He held her even closer against him. He felt his heart thud in his chest. It bothered him a lot that Kelly was terrified of being scolded, and he often wondered if Joann was unreasonable when she punished Kelly. He doubted it though, he suspected she just didn't like it when people were angry with her, much like Shannon.

"It's okay Kel, I'm not mad." Jethro pressed a kiss to her wild curls before taking her face in his hands. Her cheeks were stained with tears and he felt guilty all over again, "Daddy was just scared you got hurt."

It was the only time he allowed himself to be vulnerable around someone. Kelly never judged him or told him some sappy excuse why he shouldn't be scared. Pressing a kiss to her forehead he wiped away her tears and gave her a once over to make sure she wasn't hurt.

"Sorry daddy I wake you." Kelly mumbled from behind her bear.

"Don't be sorry honey, it wasn't your fault." He looked at the glass bottle that lay in shards on the floor, his paranoia already telling him that Kelly could have stepped or worse fallen on one of the sharp pieces of glass.

He needed to buy more plastic bottles and cups if he wanted something like that not to happen. He pulled a chair out from the breakfast table and placed Kelly on it while he tried to clean up all the tiny pieces of glass.

Jethro grabbed Kelly's _Star Wars_ sippy cup, a birthday gift from Tony after they had watched the film together, he'd bought her pyjamas that had various characters from the film as well. Jethro shook his head at his senior field agent and quickly poured her some fruit juice.

He picked her up and placed her on his lap, content to sit with her in silence for a while. Kelly leaned against him, drinking from her cup, her blue eyes burning into him as she studied him for a while. She placed her cup on the table and touched her finger to his nose.

"Nose," she smiled at him proudly.

Jethro laughed quietly. He glanced at his watch trying to see how much time they had left before they had to get ready. He rubbed Kelly's back softly and put her back on the floor, "Wanna go build the boat?"

Kelly nodded enthusiastically, she grabbed her father's hand and tried to pull him out of his chair.

Jethro complied with his daughter and stood, trying to calm her down enough before she rushed towards the basement door and fell down the stairs. He scooped her up in his arms and settled her on his hip, he flicked the basement light on and navigated the rickety stairs all the way down. He settled Kelly on the work bench and looked around for an old t-shirt.

Grabbing one of his Marine t-shirts he helped her pull it over her head, he quickly rolled up the sleeves and looked around for one of his caps. Finding one hanging over an old mason jar he placed it on Kelly's head. It was the best he could do to keep the wood shavings out of her curly hair.

Jethro pulled the small can with nails towards him along with one of the various hammers along side it. He handed the small can to Kelly and picked her up and took her over towards the unfinished boat. They crawled underneath the shell of the boat. He held out his hand for a nail and Kelly carefully placed one in his palm.

The silence and comfort they worked in relaxed him, but there was still a sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach he just couldn't shake.

* * *

The delicious smell of roasted chicken wafted through the old Georgetown mansion, making anyone's mouth water as they stepped through the old cherry wood front door. Jenny silently thanked those above her for Noemi, because if the cooking had been up to her she'd most definitely poison Jethro and his _date_. She was still reeling from his question.

Her anger had flared even more when she had spilled everything to Ziva, after which she had realised that the bastard had led her on in the car. Ziva had even offered to kill both him and this bimbo he was bringing along with him. All though Ziva had said bingo instead of bimbo.

Jenny laughed at the Israeli, if it weren't for Ziva she'd never have laughed so much these days, or be alive for that matter. She owed Ziva more than just her life, she was eternally indebted to her for saving her life on more than just one account.

Jenny checked her hair in the mirror making sure her curls behaved for once in their life. It was bad enough that they refused to be straightened for tonight's affair, she was just thankful the weather didn't work against her. Having unruly curls was one thing, having unruly frizzy curls was a completely different ball game. She glared at the red tresses, silently threatening them if they didn't behave. Making sure her make-up was still perfect, she switched off the light on her vanity and headed towards the door.

She descended the stairs slowly, keeping a close eye on the door. Tonight reminded her of her father, when he had colleagues over for dinner and her mother had forced her to sit still and behave while she entertained her father's guests. After she had left the two of them, her father had stopped inviting people over, he had much rather spend time pretending with her than entertain a bunch of Army officials.

She remembered waiting on the bottom step of the stairs for the old door to swing open and reveal her father, it was why she had grown up to love the old cherry wood door, she knew that at any moment it could swing open and her father would be on the other side. Her hopes and dreams were shattered though when tragedy had struck them, and the door just never looked the same to her any more.

Pushing all the sad thoughts to the back of her mind she looked at the time. There was only half an hour left before her guests arrived and she was already wishing that time could speed up so she could get this rather awkward dinner over and done with. Why did she have to like a man who was so easily desired by other women?

The aroma of mouth watering dishes only got stronger as she stepped into the kitchen. Jenny licked her lips at the thought of a proper home cooked meal. Making her way to the island she settled in one of the chairs, watching Noemi work her magic in the kitchen. She was seriously starting to contemplate various ways to embarrass both Jethro and his date. Who brought a date to another woman's house? Seems like Leroy Jethro Gibbs did.

"You no wear dress tonight señora Jenny?" Noemi asked as she stirred something on the stove.

Jenny rolled her eyes, her attempts to look her best had gone out the window when Jethro had dropped the bomb that he was in fact seeing someone else. She briefly wondered if he was married, that just made her blood boil. She didn't have time for cheating lying spouses – she'd seen first hand what it could do to someone else – he didn't wear a ring so she doubted he was married, and he struck her as the ring wearing type.

"No I didn't feel like it tonight." She had in fact opted for a pair of black designer slacks as well as a white blouse. She didn't feel like exposing herself even more to the man who had led her by her nose, she could kick herself.

"You do not sound very excited about tonight, did something happen?" Noemi had left whatever she had been stirring to simmer and made her way to sit next to the other woman.

"He's bringing a date." Jenny mumbled as rested her cheek in her hand and sighed dejectedly.

Noemi blinked a few times, trying to understand what exactly had just happened, she'd heard that morning what had happened in the car. Jenny had called her early and had told her everything, that's why she had offered to stay and cook since Jenny wanted to invite Gibbs for dinner. She looked at the woman apologetically, she knew better than anyone how much she had like the man.

The protectiveness rose in her chest, her anger flaring like it usually did when some boyfriend of Jenny's had broken her heart. She folded her arms across her chest her dark brown eyes darkening even more in anger.

"Call him and tell him dinner is off." Noemi growled.

Jenny looked at her and smiled, "It's bad enough that his team heard how I made a fool of myself, I'm not going to embarrass myself even more. Besides I'll make them feel uncomfortable."

"If your papa was still around that boy would have been sorry." Noemi said fondly, resting a comforting hand on Jenny's back.

Jenny laughed softly, trying to hide the tears that the mention of her father had brought on. She breathed deeply and gave the older woman a knowing smile, "Not as sorry as he'd be when you're done with him."

Noemi pulled her into a tight hug as they sat in silence for a while, each remembering Jasper Shepard.

The doorbell rang, echoing through the large house.

Jenny looked at Noemi with a displeased look on her face, the moment she had dreaded had finally arrived. Pulling away from the woman's embrace she smoothed her blouse slightly and checked if she looked presentable in the reflective glass of the oven. Satisfied, she made her way to the foyer but stopped at the kitchen door, "Wish me luck. Oh and uh, please set one more plate."

Noemi shooed her away, she couldn't afford to hear any more, she was already close to attacking the lying bastard with a frying pan.

Jethro stepped back from having pressed the doorbell. He adjusted Kelly on his hip and pulled her backpack's strap a little higher on his shoulder. He pulled at his shirt collar a little, feeling more nervous than usual about seeing Jenny. He had a feeling it had to do with the little girl sitting on his hip. He glanced at Kelly and pulled his face a little, trying to make her feel more at ease. If there was one person who hated meeting new people more than he did, it was Kelly.

Kelly giggled softly at her father and tried to be even closer to him. She rubbed her nose against her father's as he kept scrunching his nose at her. He laughed softly with her at the ticklish feeling it created. Leaning away from him a little she quickly kissed his cheek.

They both heard someone on the other side of the door and quickly sobered up.

The heavy wooden door swung open, revealing their host. Jethro held his breath, he was so use to women slamming the door in his face when he arrived with his daughter that it surprised him that they were still staring at each other.

Jenny looked from Jethro to the little girl that sat securely on his hip. All of them staring at each other. There was no doubt in her mind that the beautiful little brunet belonged to Jethro. If she hadn't looked so much like her father her blue eyes would have given away who her father was in an instant. She didn't know if she was supposed to wait for the bomb to drop so Jethro could announce his wife as well. It was what she was expecting a girlfriend or a wife, not an adorable little girl.

Jethro cleared his throat causing her to snap back to reality. She gave them a warm smile and stepped aside, letting them inside the old house. She swallowed down the sudden nervousness that over came her. She was somehow relieved that he hadn't actually brought a date, but seeing the little girl brought along a whole different set of questions. It also made her realise that there was more to Jethro Gibbs than what met the eye.

Turning around she gave the little girl a warm smile, having already picked up on her anxiety. She wasn't going to ask questions, she'd learned rather quickly that Jethro shared only when he thought he should. She could remember her father being in the same position as him and how much it pained him to talk about her mother.

Jethro looked at Jenny before turning his attention back to his daughter, who was trying to hide herself by pressing her face in her father's neck. Jethro jostled Kelly gently, making her look at him, he raised an eyebrow at her and smiled.

"Can you say hi to Jenny?" He asked her softly. He was afraid that Kelly wouldn't like Jenny, and since he found that he really did, he was praying that Kelly would too.

"Hi." Kelly mumbled as she looked at the woman, although she was still clinging to her father as tightly as possible.

"Hi," Jenny offered the little girl in return, trying her best not to stare at her and making her feel more uncomfortable.

Jethro looked at Jenny and offered her a smile, "Kelly's my daughter." He said after a while when he noticed that they were still standing in the foyer.

"I sort of assumed she was since she looks just like you." Jenny replied with a smile, her perfect eyebrows arched teasingly. She could feel the awkwardness ebb away when the little girl hiding in her father's arms smiled at her again.

"Kelly, does your daddy always say silly things?" Jenny asked the toddler who seemed to have momentarily forgotten that she was shy.

Kelly looked at her father with knitted eyebrows, she placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed his nose gently. Doing exactly what he sometimes did to her, "Silly daddy."

Jenny watched in awe as Jethro interacted with his daughter. He seemed different than usual, the hard exterior she had come to know had sort of cracked and she could see the real man inside. He appeared to be less stressed, the hard lines on his face seemed softer than usual. She felt her heart warm just a little more as he looked at her with warm blue eyes, a twinkle in them drawing her towards him even more.

"Coffee?" She asked when she realised Jethro was looking at her expectantly. He nodded and she lead them towards the kitchen.

The kitchen door opened and closed quickly, Noemi heard footsteps stop at the island. She was tying to busy herself with the pots on the stove, not wanting to show how angry she was with the two new people who had arrived. She saw Jenny stop next to her and looked at her out the corner of her eye. She indicated with her thumb that she better look behind her.

Jethro watched with amusement as the Hispanic woman turned around. He hadn't missed the way she had tensed when they had entered the kitchen. There was no doubt that Jenny had told her he was bringing a date. He was silently patting himself on the back for surprising the two women the way he did, although he suspected a warning would have been a better option.

"Señor Gibbs..." Noemi trailed off as she looked between him and the child on his lap. The shock must have been evident on her face because he had started laughing at her softly. She hurried around the island to stand right next to him. Her hands clasped together as she looked at the little girl.

"She is beautiful," Noemi stroked the little girl's hair softly, "I see she has hair like Jenny's."

Kelly shied away from her a little, trying to burrow herself further in her father's embrace.

"Noemi!" Jenny snapped from where she stood, she didn't need her airing all her dirty laundry in front of Jethro.

Noemi rolled her eyes at the younger woman and winked at Jethro. She took over from Jenny and made her sit next to Jethro at the counter.

Jethro took the cup Noemi offered him with a smile and luxuriated the unique taste the bitter brew offered him. He didn't have to look down at Kelly to know she was staring at Jenny. He found himself praying once again that his daughter liked this woman as much as he did. He felt Kelly move on his lap so she could see Jenny more clearly.

Kelly leaned across her father and reached out to touch Jenny's hair, "Pretty."

Jethro relaxed visibly as he heard his daughter compliment Jenny. He turned his attention toward her and adjusted Kelly so she sat more comfortably on his lap. He smiled at Jenny as she blushed at the little girl's comment.

"She's right. You look beautiful." Jethro whispered as he leaned closer to her.

Jenny couldn't help the smile that had formed. She looked between father and daughter, feeling almost vulnerable under their intense stares. She placed her own coffee cup on the marble top and leaned down, looking at Kelly. She reached out and touched the little girls cheek softly.

"You're definitely prettier." She watch the little girl try to hide her face in her father's chest.

Jethro had to remind himself that his daughter was on his lap and that Noemi was no more than a few feet away on the other side of the island. He wanted to tell Jenny that he thought she looked more than just beautiful, he wanted to run his hands through her curly red hair and bring her closer to him and kiss her. He wanted to see that adorable blush tint her cheeks when he told her what he wanted to do to her.

He found himself staring into her dark jade-green eyes as she looked at him. His eyes flicked down to her red lips before he looked at her again, that blush he liked so much colouring her cheeks again. Everything inside him screamed that he should kiss her, consequences be damned. He was already this close all he had to do was tuck her a little closer and he'd be tasting her lips. He was however stopped when a tiny hand waved in front of his face. He sat back in his chair and looked down at Kelly, he leaned down and listened as she whispered in his ear.

"Do you have a bathroom we could use?" Jethro asked quietly.

Jenny gave the little girl a small smile, "Sure, through the door down the hall first door on your left."

Jethro excused them and left the two women alone in the kitchen. Jenny waited until she was sure he was gone before looking at Noemi with wide eyes. She stared at the Hispanic woman for a while, trying to process everything.

"He has kid." Jenny said in disbelief.

Noemi touched Jenny's hand, making her look at her, "He seems like he is a wonderful papa, and he loves her very much."

"Noemi, she's beautiful. It's just, where's her mother, she's so young." Jenny rambled more to herself than actually talking to Noemi.

"Jenny, do not push him away." Jenny shook her head, she wasn't planning on pushing him away just because he had a daughter. She did however feel something she had never felt before, a sense of protectiveness. Before tonight she'd never thought of family, and now she realised that liking Jethro had more complications than she had thought.

Kelly stared up at her father, clearly unimpressed with his idea to get her to be able to see over the table top. She folded her arms and gave him his own glare, "Daddy is no comfy." She huffed silently.

Jenny had excused herself to see Noemi to the door since she had other plans for the night. Jethro scanned the area to see if he could find anything for Kelly to sit on, failing to notice that they were being watched. He crouched next to her and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Kelly, please don't be difficult." He pleaded softly, their night had progressed without a hitch, and the last thing he needed was a grumpy three year old.

"Daddy I sit with you." She whined softly. Kelly was currently sat on her chair and could see over the top of the table by sitting on her father's jacket, but she had fought her father to sit on his lap.

Jethro scrubbed a hand over his face tiredly, he felt his eyes burn as he closed them against the frustration that was building inside him. He knew she wanted to be close to him since they hadn't seen each for almost a week, he felt worse each time she resorted to tears whenever he left her for a few seconds.

There was a gentle touch on his shoulder and he could feel her slender fingers burn him through the material of his shirt. He opened his eyes and met a set of green orbs, he felt relieved when she winked at him in understanding. The anxiousness inside him gave away when she turned her attention to Kelly.

Jenny knelt next to Jethro and looked the little girl straight in the eye, "What do you say we finish dinner and get out of this stuffy room." She shot Jethro a quick glance before continuing, "I bet Noemi made ice cream, do you like ice cream?"

Kelly looked at her for a while, she could see the gears tuning inside her head as she stared at her. The thought that the little girl didn't like her reared its head and she felt herself clamp up on the inside. Ignoring that thought she tried to tell herself that the girl was probably just as nervous as she was.

"Daddy can I have ice cream?" Kelly looked at her father hopefully, her blue eyes already pleading.

Jethro smiled at her and nodded, "If you finish dinner."

Kelly turned her attention back to Jenny and smiled at her, "Daddy say yes."

Taking their seats again, they settled into a comfortable silence as they ate. Jenny looked between Jethro and Kelly, trying to figure out how they had ended up being just the two of them. She had tried to ignore it since they had arrived on her doorstep, but now as they sat in silence it came back to her.

She knew better than anyone what it was like to hide behind a façade, to pretend you didn't care but deep down it still hurt. She supposed that's what he was doing, hiding behind the growling insensitive person he was at work. It explained the hollow almost empty look he had in his eyes when no-one was looking. In the silence she wondered if it was the hurt in his eyes that had drawn her to him.

In the last hour she had grown fond of the little girl that had showed up with Jethro. She didn't say much and she didn't show any indication that she really liked her, but she had seen herself when she looked into those azure eyes.

Anger flared in her chest when she realised he had lied to her, maybe not in the sense of the word, but he had given no indication that he was someone's father. Fear overcame her when she realised that maybe he was looking for a commitment, more than what she had to offer. She saw herself as too young to be in any form of relationship that required attention. She had a goal, and Jethro and Kelly didn't fit into her outlined plan to get there.

Meeting his gaze across the large table she felt her resolve crumble. Jenny swallowed a little heavily, she could see concern in his eyes as he regarded her silently. He looked at her like no man had ever done before, with care and something she was too terrified to name in fear that she might be fooling herself. It felt as if he shared her grief, like he had been there before, overcome with vengeance.

His eyes bore into hers, making her want to tell him everything. Jenny looked down at her plate, telling herself she was imagining things. She repeated to herself that it was purely a physical attraction and that once it was out of her system she'd move on and continue on her way to the top. Pushing the feeling of finally belonging to the back of her mind she dared to meet his eyes again.

Making sure Kelly was preoccupied she asked her question, "How old is she?"

"Three," Kelly piped up, knowing exactly who the pretty lady was talking about. She held up her fingers at Jenny, "One, two, three!"

Jethro shot Jenny a proud look and couldn't help but laugh at the embarrassed blush that had coloured her cheeks for the third time that night.

"I see she has your hearing too." Jenny said more quietly.

"Uh-huh," Jethro smirked at her arrogantly.

Jethro studied her for a while, watching as she interacted with his daughter. It was a rare occurrence that Kelly so readily interacted with a stranger. He had seen Jenny tense during dinner when she had looked at them. He'd seen the pain flash in her eyes more than once. His gut told him that she shared the same past as him, he could recognise the look anywhere.

It was then that her surname had come up at the back of his mind again, he recognised it from somewhere, and her eyes seemed so familiar. Her eyes, they were always warm and kind, especially now as she gave all her attention to Kelly. He'd seen them cold, it happened when she thought no-one was looking, and it scared him, because he knew the feelings that brew inside her.

Jethro pushed his empty plate away and leaned back in his chair, waiting for Jenny to finish. He watched Kelly slide off her chair and saunter towards him, trying her best to climb onto his lap. He scooped her up off the floor and placed her on his lap, kissing the back of her head protectively.

They were all sat in the living room, the dim light coming from the few lamps creating a soft glow around them. Jethro leaned back in the leather chair he was seated in watching his daughter interact with Jenny as they both sat on the carpet in front of the fireplace.

"What do you think Kelly pink or purple?" Jenny asked the little girl who was trying to find something in her backpack.

"Pink," Kelly mumbled as she glared at all the _Barbie_ and _Ken_ dolls that were on display in front of her, "Daddy where Elvis?"

Jenny shot Jethro a confused look and mouthed the name Elvis at him questioningly. He shook his head a little saying he'd explain later. He tried to think which one of his daughter's various toys were named Elvis. He cringed when he realised that she was referring to her _Troll Doll_. The doll in question was currently residing on DiNozzo's computer monitor.

"At home, I think." He replied after a short while.

"Who's Elvis?" Jenny couldn't help but ask, it was strange hearing that name from a three year old.

"He is a _Ro...Rol…_ a _Roll Doll_." Kelly looked at her proudly and gave her a toothy grin.

" _Troll Doll_." Jethro supplied quietly behind Jenny, his voice low and deep next to her ear.

They shared a soft laugh and turned their attention back to the little girl who was yawning loudly. Jenny glanced at her watch. She had completely lost track of time when she had offered to play with Kelly for a while. She turned towards Jethro.

"Is it too late for ice cream?" She asked softly, not wanting to intrude.

"Nah, it's fine she'll fall asleep anyway." Jethro assured her. He stood and helped her up off the floor.

He pulled her a little too forcefully and she stumbled slightly, pressing her palms against his chest she looked up at him. Jenny stared at his mouth, her resolve to stop whatever was between them after tonight going right out the window.

Jethro wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her even closer. Her conscious mind screaming at her that if she wanted to avoid getting involved with him she better stop him from kissing her. She curled one hand in his dress shirt and brought him closer. She closed her eyes and waited to feel his lips on hers, finally.

An almost dead weight leaned against them just above their knees. Jethro sighed and rested his forehead against Jenny's, he could feel her laugh softly as she let go of his shirt. She looked at him with almost dazed green eyes before giving him an assuring smile that she wasn't angry.

Jenny looked down at the little girl and stroked her hair lovingly, she crouched in front of her, "Want some ice cream before you go to sleep?"

Kelly nodded before leaning against her father again, her blue eyes giving away just how tired she was.

They were passing through the foyer when Jethro's pager went off. Jenny gave him an almost pained look at the thought that they might have another victim, "Phone's in the study." She pointed at the closed door before taking Kelly's hand and leading her to the kitchen.

Another thought struck her as she dished the home made ice cream into three separate bowls. Who looked after Kelly when Jethro wasn't home, or when he was working?

In the hours between finishing dinner and playing make belief she had seriously battled with what Noemi had said in the kitchen. Could she really handle chasing her father's killer and navigate a relationship?

She scoffed a little, she didn't even know if she really felt that way about Jethro. Sure she liked him and she had definitely fallen in love with his little girl. But could she really afford hurting not only the two of them but herself in the process when he found out she had a rather dark past? She had come to care for him over the last few months they had worked together and he had gotten under her skin like no-one had ever done before. For the first time in a while she felt like she belonged somewhere.

Kelly's tired yawn brought her back, she gave the little girl an understanding look and pushed one of the bowls towards her along with a spoon. Placing the tub of ice cream back in the freezer she flopped down in a chair next to her. She helped Kelly move a little closer to the marble top and gave her a warm smile.

"Jenny, do you have puppy?" Kelly asked after swallowing a mouthful of ice cream, her mouth smeared with melted ice cream.

"Once, but he went away." Jenny looked at the little girl sadly.

Kelly's face fell a little, she pushed her empty bowl of ice cream away and moved closer to Jenny on her chair. She wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt and looked up at the older woman, "I sorry Jenny." She gave the woman a quick hug.

Jenny tensed momentarily when she felt the little girl hug her. She was caught off guard by the sudden show of affection. It took her a while but she relaxed a little and gave the little girl a hug in return. She looked down and stared into Kelly's blue eyes. She felt herself gravitate towards the little girl, the little girl had a certain sense of calmness that could make almost anyone feel comfortable.

"Do you have a puppy?" Jenny asked Kelly after a while.

Kelly wormed her way onto her lap and stared up at her, her face dead serious, "Daddy say no, we think about it."

Jenny couldn't help but laugh at the rather familiar scowl that settled on the little girls face. She pressed her fingers against the little girl forehead, smoothing out the frown that had settled on her brow, "You'll face will get stuck like that if you keep doing that." Jenny whispered softly.

Kelly looked at her with wide eyes, shaking her head, "No do." She said more to herself.

Jenny laughed and as if it were second nature she hugged the little girl against her. It amazed her how quickly children could trust someone almost completely. She left Kelly to lean against her while they waited for her father to return.

Jethro watched through the crack in the door as Jenny cradled his daughter against her. He knew she didn't realise it but she was resorting to natural instincts to comfort Kelly. He felt the worry rise in him, this was going to be complicated if things went to hell and Kelly had grown attached to the redhead.

Jethro stepped into the kitchen, his face almost unreadable but Jenny had spot the worried look in his eyes before he could mask it properly. She gave him a questioning look as he stood next to her, taking a sleeping Kelly off her hands. He settled in the chair next to hers, she pushed his bowl of somewhat melted ice cream towards him.

"Jethro?" Jenny kept her voice low, not wanting to wake Kelly.

"It was Abby. Results came back, no luck with the fingerprint, but she did match the DNA to a Metro case back in '74. We'll know more tomorrow when we start from the beginning." Jethro finished before taking a large mouthful of ice cream.

Jenny sighed tiredly, relieved that they finally found a break in the case. She rested her head in her hands and slid her fingers into her hair, massaging her scalp gently, not caring that she was messing up her hair. She rolled her neck from side to side trying to relieve some of the tension that knotted her muscles.

She jumped slightly when Jethro rested a hand on the back of her neck. She couldn't help but sigh when his strong fingers sought out the knots, kneading her muscles until they relaxed under his ministrations. She closed her eyes and let the smell of him and feel of him this close again sink in.

"You know," Jenny said after a while, still enjoying the attention Jethro was paying to her sore muscles, "you could have warned me you had a child."

Jethro stopped what he was doing and dropped his hand. He shifted in his chair and cradled Kelly a little closer, waiting for the inevitable question. He grit his teeth and met Jenny's eyes.

"Jethro," Jenny bit her lip as she watched him tense as she spoke, the shift in atmosphere was palpable. She knew that one wrong word or phrase would cause Jethro to shut her out completely. She's seen it happen before and she was determined to get him to tell her at least some of his past.

"Does Kelly stay with her mother during the day, or when you work nights?" It was better than coming straight out and asking if Kelly had a mother.

"No," Jethro bit back a little defensively, there were various answers to her question, "she's not around."

Jenny held her hand up in defence, the anger in her chest rising a little, "It was just a question Jethro. I was just curious."

His eyes softened a little as he looked at his daughter sleeping in his arms. Jenny bit her tongue when she noted the pained look on his face as he moved a few stray curls off Kelly's forehead and kissed her forehead gently.

Touching his arm she offered him a brave smile, "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine Jen, just drop it." Jethro didn't meet her gaze, instead he placed his hand on hers, keeping it in place when she tried to let go of him. He ran his roughened finger over her soft skin, tracing her knuckles.

Jenny bit her lip as she tried to hide the shiver his soft touch was causing. Everything seemed so much different now that she knew a little more about him. It wrecked havoc inside her, it made her want to run from him and never look back. They hadn't even started anything yet, but each touch and each look felt more intimate than the first.

Something was keeping her from telling him to just leave. She wanted to feel the hate inside her, the thing that had been driving her the last few years, the fire that made her strive to be the best. Taking this position had caused her to slow down, to look at things and see them for what they were. Yet here she was staring into the eyes of a man who had no idea that the demons she were fighting on the inside were occasionally stronger than her.

"It's late," Jenny said, drawing away from Jethro.

Jethro nodded, taking the not so subtle hint that she wanted to be alone. He adjusted Kelly in his arms and stood up carefully. He felt around for his keys with one hand. He followed Jenny back to the foyer where she had made him wait while she quickly fetched Kelly's toys and backpack along with his jacket.

They walked into the cool night breeze, down the small path to the street where Jethro's car stood.

Jethro placed Kelly on the back seat, "Daddy," she whimpered softly. He soothed her before placing her backpack on the floor and closing the door quietly.

Jenny was standing on the side walk, looking up at the almost cloudy night sky. Jethro walked up to her, looking up at the sky as well, "It's gonna rain soon." He said as they looked back at each other.

"Yeah, it's about time."

Jethro stared at her as she looked up at the sky, admiring her in the silence. He met her emerald pools and felt himself take a step closer to her. He reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist, stopping her from backing away. He tugged her a little closer to the edge, she was looking straight at him, for once she was just as tall as him.

Their chests were pressed together, breathing the same air, "We should stop meeting like this." Jenny said a little breathlessly.

Jethro gave her a lopsided smile and leaned into her more. One hand snaked up her back, his fingers slipping into her red strands. He pulled her closer, his nose pressing into her cheek gently, he licked his lips. He tilted her head back a little and pressed his lips against hers tentatively.

Jenny tensed momentarily before relaxing into his embrace. His lips were surprisingly soft against hers as he kissed her. His lips tasted of the coffee flavoured ice cream he had had. She lifted one hand and pressed it against his chest, fisting her hand in his shirt. She felt somewhere between light headed and passing out.

Kissing him was everything she had expected and more. He was gentle yet demanding but restrained enough to let her pull away if she wanted.

Jenny pulled away and took a deep breath to calm her burning lungs. She rested her forehead against Jethro's, savouring the moment while it lasted. His other hand had let go of her wrist and was wrapped around her waist keeping her close.

"Jethro we should take this slow," Jenny said horsely as Jethro pressed more kisses to her jaw. He stopped what he was doing and looked at her, his eyes as dark as when he was angry, and Jenny couldn't help the flutter in her stomach.

"Whatever you want Jen." Jethro said in low growl, pressing a lingering kiss to the corner of her mouth.

* * *

Jenny leaned her head against the old wooden door, her heart kicking violently against her ribs. She licked her lips hoping to savour the taste of coffee that had come from Jethro's lips. Her stomach fluttered when the reality of everything settled in.

He had kissed her.

Jenny bit her lip painfully, almost drawing blood. He had finally kissed her, although she would have wanted him to continue, to have him take it one step further.

Men had kissed her before, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't enjoyed it. She knew it was cliché, even very _romance novel_ of her to think it, but something had been different. He had kissed her without making it feel awkward or a little uncomfortable, it had been tender and it left her wanting more. She wanted to know how it felt to kiss him when he was angry or relaxed or just plain lustful.

Chiding herself for acting like a teenage schoolgirl she pushed off the door and headed straight for her study. She was going to need something strong to calm her nerves.

Bypassing the cheap bottles of whiskey, she went straight for the good stuff, the whiskey her father had drunk when he was stressed. She had bought a new bottle when he had died, the half full one he had last drank from was on the top shelf of the liquor cabinet, safe from everything.

Splashing a mouthful into the crystal tumbler she made her way to the large leather chair behind the old wooden desk. She sank down in it and relaxed into the dark leather.

She sipped the scotch, enjoying the way it burned her tongue, remembering her father. She often wondered if he would have been proud of her for what she had accomplished so far, she doubted he would have approved of her plan to achieve her goal.

She knew he wouldn't have approved of the darkness that occasionally overcame her nature. He had taught her to achieve her goals by any means necessary, she doubted it entailed using some people on occasion to get what she wanted.

Was that what drove her to be attracted to Jethro? He was very observant in his surroundings and reading people like a book was a special skill he had obtained. She knew that he'd be the first to notice when she started to close in on her next goal. He was that observant.

A heaviness settled on her shoulders. She liked him, she liked him very much. He was the type of person she could spend days with without having to fill the silence with useless babble, just knowing he was there was enough. Using him to secure the next promotion felt wrong, she rolled her eyes at herself, it _was_ wrong. A small thought crossed her mind that there really was more to her feelings for him.

Jenny sighed and downed the scotch. She had a plan and was sticking to it, it was Jethro's own fault if he got involved with her. Liar, she thought to herself but ignored it.

Switching off the light in the study, she made a quick round of the lower floor to make sure everything was locked and off before heading to the master bedroom.

Jenny settled in the cool cotton sheets. The wind was howling outside her bedroom window and in the distance she could hear the oncoming thunderstorm. She snuggled further into her covers, she was going to sleep like a baby.

Sleep was tugging on her violently, but she was still aware of her surroundings, mere moments away from succumbing to the heavy pull.

The phone on the night stand suddenly went off.

Jenny groaned in disappointment. One night, it was all she wanted. She looked at the phone balefully before grabbing it violently and answering it, the anger and irritation clear in her voice.

"Shepard,"

There was no reply, just someone's heavy breathing.

Jenny rolled her eyes, she was too tired for games, "Jethro, this isn't funny." She didn't know why she thought it was him, but she was secretly hoping it was him, and he just didn't know what to say.

She waited for a reply but none came.

"Hello?" She was starting to doubt it was Jethro, and she was slowly starting to feel more and more uncomfortable. She kept the line open, hoping she'd hear something or someone.

"I can see why Jethro likes you. The fire inside you is more enticing than the colour of your hair."

"Who is this?" Jenny hoped she had masked the panic in her voice.

"It's a pity really," there was a short pause, "I bet Jethro would have wanted to do more than just kiss you goodnight. I know I want to"

"Where are you you bastard?!"

"Ah and of course Jethro's daughter, real pretty little thing. Maybe I'll wait a few years for her. First I want to know more about you, you better watch out."

The dial tone reverberated in her ear.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading. Please review :)_


	8. A puppy named Yoda

**Disclaimer:** _I own nothing._

 **A/N:** _Thank_ _you all_ _for the reviews, they_ _really made my day_ _and each one means so much to me_ _. To those who added it to their favourites and who followed, thank yo_ _u so very much._

 **Warning:** _This really isn't a case-centred fic so some of the scenes might seem a little rushed, I apologise. Also some parts are clearly my imagination, be warned. Grammar and spelling are all my mistakes._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

Jenny balled her fists tightly, unwilling to give into blind panic. Slipping one hand under her pillow she pulled her Sig out, flicking the safe off. She held her breath for a moment, trying to hear if there was anything out of place in the quiet house. The howling of the wind had seemed to pick up more and the crashing of thunder was getting increasingly louder.

Waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of her room, she padded across the thick carpet towards her bedroom door. Feeling blindly for the knob, she found it and moved her hand lower, effectively locking the heavy wooden door. Jenny leaned against the door heavily, trying to calm herself down to think more clearly. She listened intently for anything that gave away another presence in the house.

Jenny wasn't sure whether whoever had called her was parked on her street and watching her, or if he had watched them and had left. She tried to bluff herself by telling herself he wouldn't be stupid enough to assault a Special Agent, but she wasn't going to put it past him.

Wanting to avoid the windows as much as possible, she crept towards her vanity, where she had left her mobile phone. She gripped her Sig tightly in one hand while fumbling with the phone in the other. She jogged her memory quickly for the number she was looking for, before punching it in. She waited nervously for someone to pick up. Jenny chewed her lip as she listened to the ringing of the dial tone.

"Yeah, Gibbs." Jenny didn't miss the groggy- and irateness with which Jethro answered the phone. Later she'd feel bad for waking him, but her heart and nerves weren't allowing her to think straight.

"He's here Jethro, he saw us." Jenny spoke in a hurried whisper. She could hear Jethro groan and mumble something before he answered her.

"Jen what are you talking about?"

Jenny rolled her eyes and stopped herself from snapping at Jethro for being so thick at times. She had called him because she knew that whoever had seen them now knew about Kelly, her instincts to protect had kicked in without her noticing it, "Gibbs just take Kelly and get to Head Quarters, I'll explain when I get there."

"Jen, who saw what?" Jethro sounded tense and more nettled than she had ever heard him.

"There's no time just get out of the house it's not safe there. Meet me at the office." Jenny didn't give him a chance to answer before she hung up. She felt her heart pounding in her ears, irrational fear had taken over halfway through when she relived what she had seen from all the victims. Something inside her had warned her that nothing would stop this psycho from doing the same to Kelly.

* * *

Jethro paced the short distance between the two entrances to the bullpen. He kept checking his watch, it was almost three in the morning and he was at Head Quarters instead of in bed. His anger was surging through him with a vengeance, causing a headache to form from all the sudden rush of blood. He was mentally cursing Jennifer Shepard from waking him with a confusing phone call and telling him indirectly his daughter's life was in danger.

He should have known having the two of them meet wasn't such a good idea. He was still running what she had said to him through his head, trying to decipher what she had meant. He had been too tired and irritated to actually comprehend what she had been saying. He was still trying to figure out who the _he_ was she had been talking about.

He'd been too paranoid about Kelly being in danger to actually stop and question the red-head's sanity.

Jethro stopped next to his desk and watched his daughter sleep. His gut had started churning and tensing ever since the phone call had been cut. He was surprised to see she was awake and staring up at him with large blue eyes, he could see she was frightened and very close to tears. Kneeling next to her he helped her out of her sleeping bag and picked her up. Kelly wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, holding onto her father as tightly as possible.

Jethro silently cursed Jenny Shepard for awakening fear inside his daughter, not wanting to admit that she had struck fear in him as well, fear of someone hurting both her and his daughter. In the last few minutes he had determined that the phone call was connected to their case. Either Jenny had seen something suspicious in the last few hours, or she had taken a handful of pills and was hallucinating.

Jethro rubbed Kelly's back softly trying to calm her down, "What's wrong Kelly?" He mumbled against her head, holding her as tightly as possible. He hated the fact that Kelly was more perceptive to her environment than he had thought.

"I scared Daddy." Kelly said softly, holding him even tighter than before.

Jethro bounced her in his arms slightly, "There's nothing to be scared of okay, daddy's right here with you." He pressed a protective kiss to her forehead and went back to pacing the short distance, hoping Kelly would fall back asleep.

After he had received the call from Jenny he had wasted no time getting his daughter out of bed and getting himself dressed. He had been edgy when Kelly had refused to wake up and had resorted to threatening her slightly if she didn't get up. He had been too caught up with his own thoughts to think about the repercussions it would have later. It wasn't a foreign concept for them to have to get up in the early hours of the morning or at the crack of dawn to get Kelly at her grandmother's.

Tonight had been unexpected and Jethro had been less worried about keeping Kelly oblivious to his emotion than he had been to keep her calm. They had hurried down the stairs and out of the house, and he suspected it was the rush of everything that had put Kelly on alert that something was not as it should be.

Kelly rubbed her nose against Jethro's shoulder and sniffed softly. She wormed one hand underneath his jacket and clutched his t-shirt tightly in her fist. She was starting to relax a little bit, but the nervousness and panic was still evident in the way she was clutching onto her father.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open.

Jethro stopped his pacing.

He grit his teeth when his two male agents shuffled out of the elevator. Tony and McGee looked at him still a little bleary-eyed. He fixed the both of them with a glare and silently ordered them to get to their desks. He felt his gut tighten even that much more. He had called his team on his way to the office, and it was starting to bother him that Jenny still hadn't shown up.

Tony chucked his backpack behind his desk and opted for leaning against it instead of sitting in his chair, he was moments away from falling back to sleep. He watched his boss intently as he paced between the four desks that occupied most of the bullpen. McGee was stood next to him, both staring at Gibbs.

Tony was becoming increasingly worried. It was rare to see Kelly at work with her father, and even more rare to see her at work when they had a particularly high-profile case like this one.

"Boss, you gonna tell us why we're here?" Tony finally asked since the suspense was slowly starting to eat him from the inside.

Jethro's pacing faltered slightly before he came to a stop in front of both his agents. He glared at each one individually, "Jen's got something," he growled at them. He watched both men nod and simply stare at him, "I suggest you two get to work before I fire the both of ya."

The two men would have been more intimidated if Jethro hadn't been holding a sleeping Kelly, but the little girl seemed to take away her father's edginess.

Tony waited until Tim was seated behind his desk and starting up his computer before he confronted Gibbs. The Italian grabbed the older agent's arm and made him stop pacing around, "Gibbs, did something happen? Is Kelly in danger?"

Jethro adjusted Kelly on his hip and tightened his grip on her just a little bit more, "No DiNozzo."

Jethro watched Tony back off and slink back to his desk in the corner. He didn't want his senior agent to know that he was fearing the worst possible scenarios as the minutes ticked by and Jenny still hadn't shown up. He hadn't missed the panicked tone of her voice when he had answered the phone, nor the fact that she had sounded rushed and even slightly out of breath. He had considered phoning Ziva and ordering her to go check and see if Jenny was all right.

He was still reliving what had happened on her side walk a few hours ago. It had felt good having her so close, breathing the same air as she did. The male part of his brain had told him it was purely attraction that made him find the redhead so alluring; but the gut feeling he'd had was telling him that he was in over his head and once she had sunk her nails into him there was no turning back.

Maybe it was the way she held herself in the _Boys Club_ or the fire inside her that always seemed to shine in her eyes that made her seem almost invincible. Hearing her on the phone sounding more shook up than she probably would have liked, made Jethro's gut tighten more painfully. Maybe it was because he cared too much about her for just 'attraction'? A fare warning that he better back off, but he knew something was coming. Something bad.

Jethro adjusted Kelly a little to get a better grip on her. His muscles were aching from having to carry her as she slept, but he was reluctant to let her go. His knee was protesting more and more as he kept pacing around.

"Boss, I'll take her if you want." Tony said quietly, already holding out his arms to take the sleeping toddler. Jethro reluctantly passed Kelly over to Tony and thanked him silently. He grabbed the grey bear on his desk and handed it to Tony.

Jethro stood in the middle of the bullpen, his hands on his hips. He stepped closer to his desk and pulled his desk phone closer. He punched in the number and waited for someone to pick up on the other end. He listened to the annoying dial tone before it ended.

Voice mail.

Jethro cursed silently and tried Jenny's mobile number. He looked up just as the elevator doors slid open and dinged. He didn't wait to see who stepped out. He slammed the phone down in its cradle and stormed to the small silver box.

He came to a stop as Jenny rushed out, almost running into him. Jethro grabbed her arms gently and stopped her from moving any further. He looked over his shoulder and saw two very curious sets of eyes staring at them.

Jethro managed to push Jenny back inside the elevator and made sure the doors were closed behind them before he plunged them into the pale blue darkness of the elevator.

Jenny folded her arms across her chest, hoping to hide the fact that she was shaking slightly. She had come close to death more times than she could remember, but a phone call like that was enough to unnerve the strongest of people.

She clenched her jaw tightly when Jethro placed a finger under her chin and made her look up at him, his other resting on her shoulder. She was having a tough time reading his facial expression. He was somewhere between angry and annoyed, at least so she thought. She knew she had to say something if she wanted the tense silence that surrounded them to break.

"He was there Jethro. He saw us." She swallowed, "He knows about Kelly."

"Who Jen? An ex-boyfriend?" Jethro snapped at her again. She was still referring to the person as _'he'_ and he was growing increasingly impatient with her sudden lack of wanting to explain anything.

"The killer! The psycho! What ever you want to call him Jethro!" Jenny snapped back at him, "I don't know who he is. If I did he'd have a bullet between his eyes." Jethro took a step back and let go of her.

"He called me Jethro. He told me that he saw us kissing." Jenny's eyes were wild as she stared at Jethro.

It was only as she stood in the silver box with Jethro a few feet away that she realised how terrified she really was. She'd had an irrational fear all the way from her Georgetown house to Head Quarters that whoever had called her had gotten to Jethro and his daughter.

Jethro kept quiet, he stepped closer to Jenny and placed his hands on either side of her face. He made her look at him. He crashed his lips down on hers. He held her to him as he kissed her hard and almost bruising.

Jenny pulled away and gulped for air. She held onto Jethro for a while.

"Start at the beginning Jen. What exactly did he say?" Jethro asked her softly, holding onto her as well.

"That he saw us kissing and that he'd wait a few years for Kelly." Jenny felt Jethro grip her hand tightly as she continued to tell him about what was said, "I want to kill the bastard Jethro."

Jethro squeezed her hand again. She didn't have to look at his face to know that he was thinking along the same lines as she was. She grabbed his arm when he pulled away, making him look at her, "I'm sorry for putting Kelly in danger Jethro."

Jethro flipped the emergency switch and set the elevator back into movement, he yanked her towards him and pressed a kiss to her temple. His mouth was next to her ear, "'s not your fault."

The bullpen was quiet despite for four people glancing at each other on occasion. Ziva and Kate had arrived shortly after Jethro and Jenny had disappeared into the elevator. Tony had wisely kept his mouth shut about that, he'd seen the worried look Kate had shot him when she had seen Kelly sleeping in his lap.

The Israeli Mossad Officer – or _crazy ninja Mossad chick_ as he liked to call her – was still staring at him with something he thought was shock on her face. It was the first time, and probably the last, he'd ever see her speechless. Tony was having a hard time keeping the smile of his face as Ziva looked from Tim to Kate to see if either of them had noticed the child accompanying him.

"Is she the child of a victim?" Ziva inched closer to Tony's desk, curious as to what the little girl looked like clad in fluffy pink pyjamas.

"No, she's a friend." It was technically the truth, Tony looked at Ziva neutrally. He was amazed Kate hadn't jumped down his throat yet for not telling Ziva who exactly the little girl was. He had leverage in leading the Israeli on for a bit, and he was definitely going to abuse it.

"That does make sense since you both seem to be in the same age group." Ziva shot at him with a raised eyebrow and a teasing smile.

Tony gaped at her and then turned to scowling at her. That had gone wrong quicker than he had thought.

Kate was laughing from behind her desk. She had been waiting to see what creative story Tony would come up with.

"Very funny Zee-vah. She happens to adore me and like me for who I am, so." Tony stated firmly before hugging the little girl closer to him and rubbing her back softly.

Ziva was quiet for a while. She observed Tony for a while before asking her next question, "May I at least know her name?"

"Her name's Kelly." Tony provided.

Ziva gave him a soft smile. She didn't know how they were connected to each other, but she hadn't missed the protectiveness with which Tony spoke of the little girl. "That is a very strong name." She said softly and moved around his desk to look at the little girl better, genuinely curious as to who the little person was.

She kept her distance though, not comfortable enough to actually move the few stray curls off the toddler's forehead to get a better look at her. There was still a tiny bit of information that irked her, who did the little girl belong to and exactly what was her connection to Tony DiNozzo. The ding of the elevator snapped her from her thoughts. She watched Gibbs stroll out of the elevator, a dark look clouding his eyes.

Ziva's eyes narrowed to slits as she watched Jenny step out behind him, she quickly took in the mused look of her friends hair, she wanted to say something but she saw the look on her face and decided to wisely keep her mouth shut. She watched Jenny's eyes dart to the little girl and saw that she wasn't nearly as shocked as she half expected her to be. Instead she saw recognition flicker in her eyes before her eyes hardened with something aching towards protectiveness over the little girl.

Jethro stopped in front of Tony's desk and looked at the concerned faces of his team, Ziva included. He looked at Jenny for a moment and saw her focused not on him but his daughter sleeping peacefully in Tony's arms. He met her gaze and the depth of guilt in them only fuelled his anger to find whoever was responsible for taunting them.

"Boss the suspense is killing us." Tony said exasperatedly from behind his desk. He had watched the silent conversation between the two team leaders, and in all honesty he was slightly put off by the fact that they had been called without any explanation.

"Whoever has been killing our victims is watching us. He called Jen this mornin' threatening her and my daughter." Jethro said the last part through clenched teeth.

The atmosphere shifted, it was charged with anger radiating from each party. Tony, Kate and Tim looked between each other, each vowing silently to protect the little girl no matter the consequences.

"McGee, do that thing you do with the computer to find someone's phone. Track whoever had called Jenny in the last few hours." Tim didn't have to be asked twice, his fingers already flying over the keyboard.

"Kate, you and Ziva go over the photos of each crime scene. See if you can find anyone who looks even remotely out of place-"

"Boss I got something," Tim looked up from behind his computer screen, "sorry for interrupting Boss. Whoever phoned Agent Shepard was parked right outside her house. That's the last time the phone was in use."

"Can you see who it's registered to?" Jenny had finally found her voice.

"No it was a burn phone. It's switched off so it might have been dumped, or he might turn it back on later."

"McGee you and DiNozzo go, find out if anyone saw anything that was out of place." Jethro barked at his two male agents. He ran a hand through his hair and shot Jenny a guarded look.

"Boss it's four in the morning, I don't think they'll take kindly to us asking questions." Tony said from behind his desk, trying to adjust Kelly without waking her as he stood and walked around his desk to give the little girl back to her father.

Jethro took Kelly from his senior agent and held her close to him, "I don't care DiNozzo, I want whoever is doing this behind bars by sundown, do I make myself clear?"

Tony looked between his boss and the woman standing next to him, "Crystal boss." Clipping his badge onto his belt he headed to the elevator, "Come on McTracker, I haven't got all day."

"What do we do? Just stand around and wait?" Jenny asked Jethro tensely, having noticed he hadn't barked orders at her like he had done with the rest of the team. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to give her something to distract her from all the dark turns her mind was taking. Jenny balled her fists, her heart was only just calming to a normal rate since she answered her phone.

"No." Jethro came from behind his desk, Kelly's small pillow and sleeping bag under his one arm. Jenny stepped forward and took it form him. He motioned for her to follow him to the back elevator.

Jenny stood a fair bit of distance away from Jethro. She was unsure whether he was angry with her about putting his daughter's life in danger, she knew she would be if their roles were reversed. Things were tense between them, unresolved even. She'd seen the man she'd come to know in private completely disappear, there had been a dark glint in his eyes as he spoke, and she could have sworn he was reliving something deep inside him. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.

"It's not you fault Jen. It's mine, I should have known this would happen." Jethro ground out between clenched teeth.

Jenny wisely kept her mouth shut, there were different way in taking what he said to heart.

The ride down was over and the doors slid open, revealing a deserted hallway and a dark forensic lab. Just then a head with two pig tails popped around the open door. Jenny gasped slightly, her hand instinctively sliding towards her Sig resting on her hip. She brushed Jethro's concerned look off and stepped past him, smiling at the happy Goth a little tightly.

Abby launched herself at the redhead instantly as she stepped through the door, she wrapped her in a tight hug, not caring that she might be squeezing the woman a little too painfully. She stepped back, her smile faltering when she picked up on the other woman's mood. It was a little known fact that Abby could easily pick up on anyone's mood in an instant.

"Is Gibbs being his growling self again?" Abby asked Jenny with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Abby Sciuto had come to like Jenny Shepard from the moment she first met her. There had been no judgement in her eyes and she had welcomed a hug with one of her own. Over the last few months she had come to like her even more when Tony came to supply her with the latest gossip involving Jenny and Gibbs. She had almost bet her front teeth that they'd be hitting it off pretty soon.

"When isn't he." Jenny gave her another fake smile as she walked further into the lab. Abby stared after her, she felt Gibbs right next to her and it was only then that she realised the hour. She spun on her high platform boots looking at Gibbs with worry. Her brow creased deeply as she looked at the toddler in his arms.

"Gibbs did something happen?" Abby asked, not bothering to hide the sudden panic in her voice.

Jethro shook his head at the young woman, winking at her reassuringly, "Nah Abs, just wanted to know if Kelly could stay down here for a while."

"Sure Gibbs, she can sleep in the back, no-one will bother her there." Abby spoke quietly.

Abby stood behind her desk drumming her fingers on the metal table rhythmically, it was one of the many signs that she was actually worried about the fact that Gibbs was in so early, weren't they all supposed to be getting as much sleep as possible? She waited for her computer to wake up so she could relay everything she had found to Gibbs.

Leaning around her desk she watched both Jenny and Gibbs trying to get young Kelly to be more comfortable. Her eyes narrowed minutely, processing the information than Jenny seemingly knew about Gibbs' daughter and storing it away for later. The glass door swooshed open and she stepped back to behind her computer, trying her best not to show that she suspected something between them.

"Hey Abs the results, you have them?" Jethro asked as he rounded the corner with Jenny right beside him.

"We had no luck with the finger print, if there were like five point then we would have had the sucker." Abby looked at the two agent seriously before continuing, "Since we have nothing to match the DNA to it was sort of like a long shot that we'd even get a match, but we did." Abby looked at them with a rather proud smile

"In '74 Metro found a murdered prostitute, she had been arrested a few times, but just before that someone reported her missing. A few weeks later they found her, dead and they never found her killer."

"How is she related to our case?" Jenny looked at the Goth slightly confused, trying to piece together how everything correlated with each other.

There was a glint in Abby's eyes, "Guess."

"Abby we don't have the time." Jethro growled at her, he was too preoccupied with getting the bastard before he got to Kelly, or Jenny. He missed the rather hurt expression the forensic scientist gave him, but the painful manner with which Jenny rammed her elbow in his side made him soften his glare.

Abby turned to her computer and brought up an old mugshot, "Meet Selena Booth, her DNA matches the DNA I ran. It was a really close match which means it could only be family."

Jenny moved closer to the computer screen trying to get a better look at both the results and the woman in the photo, "Does she have family? If she does wouldn't they be too old to go around killing women? That's if the DNA wasn't from another victim."

Abby regarded the redhead for a moment, that thought had completely slipped her mind when she found the results, "I didn't think of that."

Jethro took Jenny's arm and was already ushering her towards the door when Abby stopped them in their tracks, "I'm not finished yet." She skipped towards them, "Miss Booth had a son during the sixties, he was twelve when they found her. He went to stay with his uncle on his farm after his mother's death."

"The DNA could be his." Jethro mumbled.

"That's a little far fetched don't you think? He was twelve, he couldn't have done it." Jenny was looking at Jethro slightly bewildered that he'd even think of such a thing.

"Actually he could, since most serial killers tend to kill or abuse their pets at a very young age. He might have killed her, it's scary but definitely possible." Abby suppressed a shiver at the scary thought.

"Abs you find me that farm's location." Jethro pressed a kiss to her forehead before both he and Jenny headed back to the elevator. He rested his hand on Jenny's lower back as he ushered her into the elevator, "I'll give Mitch a call, maybe he'll be able to give us more info. In the meantime we should try and see if we can find anything on the son."

Jethro turned to look at Jenny but she was staring at the buttons on the silver panel, miles away. He was getting mixed signals from her, one moment she looked vulnerable and he wanted to hold her close and the next she was pushing him away and pretending as if nothing happened. It was confusing him, was he supposed to tell her that everything was going to be okay, or to buck up and get her act together. He doubted she'd take kindly to that so he opted for silence, knowing that sooner or later her tough guy act would crack.

* * *

Tim shifted from one foot to the other nervously, his hands were clammy and he was having a hard time stopping the files in his hand from slipping. He was hoping if he glared at Abby long enough she'd eventually give up and just come with him.

"No Abby you have to come with as well." Tim tried to convince her, not wanting to be held responsible if anything happened.

"Timothy, she is just a three-year-old toddler who wants to see her daddy. Now you're on your way up to the squad room anyway and I have lots to do here, so just take her with you." Abby stood with her hands on her hips glaring at the young agent.

"Abs, no, Kelly doesn't even like me. She'll just start crying and Gibbs wouldn't hesitate to shoot me, especially since someone threatened both her and Jenny." Tim shot a nervous glance at the girl sat behind Abby's desk still trying to wake up.

"Shame on you Timmy. Little Kelly loves everyone, she's just shy, you know better than anyone what it's like to be shy." Abby softened her tone of voice and stepped next to Tim both looking at Kelly.

"Fine I'll take her." Tim finally gave in. He waited near the exit while Abby picked Kelly up and brought her to him. She kissed the little girl on the side of the head and whispered something in her ear. They both giggled and looked at Tim. Kelly nodded at Abby before reaching towards Tim.

"Hey Bee." Kelly mumbled as she rested her head on Tim's shoulder and yawned.

Abby gave Tim a smug look before shooing him away to get back to the squad room. Tim adjusted Kelly on his hip and headed for the elevator that would take them up. The ride was short but not as stressful as he had feared. He was still curious as to what exactly it was Abby had whispered at the little girl, because it was the first time she actually went to him willingly. It gave him a strange sense of belonging all of the sudden, as if being accepted by the kid meant he was finally accepted by everyone else.

The doors opened and he made his way to the bullpen. The squad room was deserted, very few agents worked on Saturday's except the team that was on weekend duty. Tim glanced down at Kelly who had been extremely quite on their way up. She stared at him with sleepy blue eyes before giving him a shy smile. His heart stopped a fraction of a second when he realised that neither Gibbs nor Tony was there. He liked Kelly he really did, but the thought of having a crying toddler on his hands when she realised her father was gone wasn't his department.

Rounding the corner he saw Jenny's bent head as she scanned through the thick cold case file Mitch had dropped off. Tim placed his own files on his desk before sinking down in his chair, trying to navigate Kelly on his lap.

"Where's the rest?" Tim asked curiously.

"Tony and Gibbs are in MTAC with Vance. Ziva and Kate are out on a coffee run." Jenny didn't look up from her file as she answered the young agent.

Kelly sat up slightly, clearly recognising the voice, her eyes landed on the redhead behind her father's desk and soon she was sliding off McGee's lap.

"Bee, I go down please?" Kelly whispered. Tim gave her a confused look but helped her onto her own two feet. Making sure she was still balanced he let her go and watched her with curiosity as she padded to her father's desk her sock clad feet dragging across the carpeted floor.

Kelly rounded the desk slowly, still somewhat disoriented from just waking up. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and yawned, attracting Jenny's attention. Smacking her lips together Kelly inched closer, her feet still dragging across the carpet. Giving the redhead a toothy smile, she stuck her arms out towards her wanting to be picked up, "Jenny, I sit with you please?"

Jenny was slightly caught off guard. She didn't expect Kelly to even look in her direction without her father being around, let alone wanting to sit with her. She shot McGee a quick glance and he only smiled at her, the surprise clear on his face as well. Rolling the chair back she picked Kelly up and settled her on her lap. Without hesitation she snuggled into her and rested her head on her shoulder. Jenny tucked a dark curl behind the girls ear and rubbed her back softly.

"Did you sleep well?" Jenny asked her softly, giving her a warm smile.

"Yes. Abby give me Bert for cuddles because daddy no bring my teddy." Kelly stated seriously, clearly upset about the missing grey bear.

Jenny nodded her brow creased, she looked over her shoulder and spotted the bear. DiNozzo had chucked it there after he and McGee had returned from questioning her neighbours. Leaning back she grabbed it and held it out to the little girl, watching her face light up with delight at the sight of it.

"Thank you." Kelly hugged her tightly before settling again, she tucked her feet a little closer to her and clutched her bear under her arm. Kelly stared up at Jenny, her blue eyes boring into the woman.

Jenny cleared her throat, feeling a little uncomfortable with being stared at. There were a million things running through her mind as she sat behind Jethro's desk with his daughter snuggling up to her. Was it really such a good idea to be involved in these peoples lives? She had fallen in love with the little girl the moment she opened her front door, but Jethro was a different story.

When she arrived back in DC the last thing she was looking for was a relationship. She didn't have time for something serious. Jethro had lured her into wanting to know more about him. Pure attraction, that's what she had wanted it to be, a good time in bed and then they both could move on with their lives. Then he had kissed her leaving her wanting more, and he had baited her even further with a little girl she was absolutely crazy about.

A slicing pain to her index finger brought her back. She stared at the paper cut on her finger and cursed under her breath. She felt like burning the file, it was so messy and neglected that it helped them with nothing, all it did was inform them that the woman was dead and had been a prostitute. Sucking her finger to ease the pain she slammed the file shut. Kelly's eyes had widened when she saw the blood.

"Gibbs keeps band-aids in the second drawer." Tim spoke from the other side of the bullpen before turning back to what he was doing.

Jenny rummaged around the drawer until she found an open box of _Barbie_ band-aids. She bit her lip, trying to imagine what Jethro would look like with a _Barbie_ band-aid on his finger, so much for bad-ass marine. Taking one from the small box she quickly covered the cut, it was surprising how much a paper cut could burn.

Kelly took her hand gently, looking at her with large blue eyes. The little girl pressed a kiss to her band-aid covered finger. Patting her arm she looked up at her seriously, "Daddy say a kiss makes all better." Jenny felt her heart leap into her throat. There was no way she could ever be involved with Jethro, not if she was planning on following through with her original plan. She'd have to stop this before it even actually started.

"Thank you." Jenny mumbled giving her a weak smile.

The metal door to MTAC opened and closed, drawing Kelly's attention to the catwalk. Seeing her father, she slid off Jenny's lap and was off towards the stairs. "Daddy!" She was halfway up the stairs when she collided with her father's legs. He swooped her off the floor and swung her up in the air, setting of a series of delighted giggles. Planting a kiss on his cheek Kelly sat back and grinned at him. Jethro bounced her in his arms slightly before they headed back to the bullpen.

They were in deep conversation when they entered the bullpen, Jethro caught Jenny smiling as she observed the two of them, but it was quickly replaced with a neutral look. Turning his attention back to his daughter he smiled as she continued talking about nothing in particular. Out the corner of his eye he could see Tony gather his belongings and keys, his backpack already slung over his shoulder. Jethro grit his teeth and looked at his daughter again.

Setting her on the floor he knelt in front of her, holding her small hands in his larger ones, "Honey, daddy needs to work today and you can't stay here, it's too dangerous." He could already see Kelly's bottom lip quivering as he spoke, "I'm going to take you back to Nana's for the weekend, but Tony is going to be there as well, he'll be more than happy to play with you."

Jethro shot his senior agent a glare before he could start protesting. He was already upset about having to let his daughter go, the last thing he wanted was having her out of his protective sight, so DiNozzo had better watch it before he found himself in the line of fire.

Kelly's blue eyes swam with tears, her bottom lip quivering uncontrollably. Jethro wiped her cheeks as a few stray tears made their way across her red cheeks. He kissed her forehead softly and picked her up once again.

Jenny passed Jethro the small backpack he had repacked at least three times before he had headed up to MTAC. She squeezed his hand softly as he took it from her, she could only imagine what it was like trusting someone else with your child's life. Jethro looked at her a moment longer than necessary before turning and heading for the elevator with DiNozzo trailing behind him.

Tony chewed the inside of his cheek as they made their way through the quiet streets of DC. He craned his neck slightly to look at the toddler strapped into her car seat, still whimpering softly. Glancing at his boss he saw him also looking at the little girl, swallowing he turned back in his seat. Suddenly he didn't want to do this any more. Being protection detail was one thing, being protection detail to Gibbs' daughter was more nerve wrecking than the time one of his dates had turned out to be a married woman.

"Boss, don't you think it would have been better if Kate or McGee watched Kelly?" Tony half mumbled, moving away from Gibbs just in case he wanted to hit him with a fist instead of slapping him.

"DiNozzo it would have been better if she stayed back at the office, you heard Vance." Jethro ground between clenched teeth.

Tony frowned and pursed his lips, "Yeah but Boss, couldn't Kate babysit. I'm mean come on,"

"No DiNozzo. The bast…" Jethro caught himself, " _He_ had the nerve to terrorize Jen, nothin's stopping him from doing the same to Kate or Ziva." Jethro's grip tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

Tony was quiet again, mulling over what Gibbs had said. He hadn't thought as far as both his other co-workers being in danger as well. It had been touch and go since they had been given their orders. The threat was too close to home for him to even think about the other's being in danger. He supposed he should feel honoured that he'd been assigned with watching over Kelly, after all it meant Gibbs trusted him the most, that was definitely something he was going to brag about when everything was over.

"So Boss you and Jenny, anything-" Tony clamped his mouth shut when Gibbs only glared at him, maybe now wasn't the time.

The dark sedan came to a stop in front of the large house. Jethro looked at Kelly who was decidedly ticked off about being shipped off to her grandmother's yet again. He was just silently thankful she had not resorted to a temper tantrum, instead she was giving him her personal version of the silent treatment. Moving quickly he had her out of the car and was already heading to the front door when Tony caught up with them.

The very strong, very delicious smell of bacon wafted through the house, causing Tony's mouth to water instantly, he couldn't even remember the last time he had had something to eat. He was suddenly more than happy to be spending the day with Kelly and miss Fielding.

"Jethro, you're just in time for breakfast..." Joann trailed off when she saw that she had more than just two people for company. Tony DiNozzo smiled at her as charmingly as usual but she ignored him, "Jethro, is something wrong?"

"Tony's on protection detail until further notice." Jethro shot his agent a warning look before turning back, "I'll explain when everything's been cleared up, I have to get back."

Placing Kelly on the island, Jethro lifted her chin making her look at him. She quickly averted her gaze to the buttons on his polo shirt. He sighed and pulled her into a tight hug, not really wanting to let her go. He felt her sag against him and grab hold of his jacket tightly, pulling back she finally looked at him.

"Kel, I'll be back before you know it, I promise." He kissed her temple, "I love you, Kelly." He whispered softly.

"Love you." She whispered loudly kissing his cheek before reaching for her grandmother.

Tony followed behind Gibbs, back to the front door. He raised his eyebrows and gave his boss a smile, "Well, Kate and Ziva sure are missing a feast." The days of having his feelings hurt when Gibbs didn't laugh or smile were long since behind him so he simply stared at his boss until he was glared at.

"Check in every few hours and keep an eye out." Jethro opened the door, he stopped and turned back to Tony, "Oh and DiNozzo,"

"Yeah?"

"Joann's still pissed at you about those magazines Kelly saw." With that Jethro shut the door firmly, leaving a slightly panicky DiNozzo in the foyer.

Tony's mouth was suddenly dry. He hadn't thought that Gibbs would relay that bit of information to Joann, the woman was scary enough, the last thing he needed was her being mad at him. It couldn't be true, Gibbs was probably just fooling with him, the older man avoided that particular subject like the plague. It did occur to him however that the stash of magazines were still in the bottom drawer of his desk, and that he should probably take them out before Gibbs found out.

There was a yap next to him followed by a violent tug on his jeans. Tony jumped back slightly, caught off guard by the sudden attack. He glared down at whatever had decided to assault him, he glared at the _thing_. He was expecting a Jack Russell or even a Dachshund, not something that looked like an infected wet rat. Making a small noise of disgust he helped the little dog along with the tip of his shoe, pushing him away gently.

"Agent DiNozzo are you just going to stand in the foyer all day?" Joann called from the kitchen.

"No ma'am." Tony winched a little at the use of a title. Giving the dog a threatening glare he shuffled back into the kitchen. The small Chinese Crested pranced in behind him, giving him a growl before circling around Kelly's chair and laying down.

Tony took a seat next to Kelly. He gave the little girl a sideways glance, it got to him the fact that she wasn't her usual cheerful self. He was use to her smiling constantly, her blue eyes shining with delight and occasional mischief. She was never this down or gloomy when she visited him over a weekend and started missing her father halfway through. Resting a hand on her shoulder, she looked at him with tear filled eyes. He shot Joann a quick glance, but she was busy with something on the stove. He rubbed Kelly's back softly.

"Jelly Kelly, are you okay?"

"My tummy hurts." Kelly leaned against his side.

"Maybe you're just hungry." Tony could see Joann looking at her granddaughter with concern, before she met his eyes.

"No Tony. My gut hurts." Kelly looked at him with knitted brows. He wanted to laugh, maybe Gibbs taught her that whenever she was hungry she had a gut feeling, but he doubted that was the case. He was with her though. Things just didn't seem right, apart from the threat on her life and Jenny's.

"Damn Jethro with his gut feelings." Joann muttered next to Tony, giving the Italian an annoyed look. He raised his eyebrows at her. She shook her head and pushed a full plate of food in front of him, he gave her a grateful look, his mouth already salivating, he could get use to this.

* * *

Ziva stared at the empty desk across from her, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. The whole of team Gibbs had disappear between her leaving with Kate for coffee and returning. Kate had gone down to Abby's lab, Gibbs had ordered McGee up to MTAC with him, and Tony was just nowhere to be found. She turned her chair towards her boss, glaring at her instead.

"Ziva, spit it out before it chokes you."

The Israeli looked confused, "But I am not eating anything." She stated matter of factly.

Jenny's head lifted from the file she was once again going through to see what it was they missed. She narrowed her green eyes at her partner, contemplating whether she really wanted to explain to her what she had meant or just ignore it. Choosing the latter she pushed forward, "What's bothering you?"

Ziva pushed away from the desk she was currently occupying, making her way to Jenny. Leaning her hip against the desk, she folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at the redhead.

"Where is Tony?" Ziva's eyebrows were raised almost to her hairline, silently demanding an answer.

Jenny eyed her partner critically, an almost teasing smile playing on her lips, "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you were concerned about him." Jenny laughed at the dark scowl that was cast upon her.

"I do not care for him. I do however care about all of us working together in catching this serial killer." The guarded look that usually clouded the young woman's eyes was back. Jenny frowned slightly, filing away the fact that Ziva really did care about the womanising Italian.

"He's on protection detail until further notice, Vance's orders."

"For Gibbs' daughter, yes?" Ziva looked at her friend closely, trying to gauge her emotions. There was no flicker of annoyance or anger in the woman's green eyes, she continued as if nothing was out of the ordinary, "Jenny!"

"What Ziva, what do you want me to say?!" Jenny's eyes flashed with irritation.

"Did you know he had a daughter before you almost kissed him? Or did you find out last night when you had dinner with him?" Ziva did a very good job of keeping her voice low in order not to attract unwanted attention from a couple of other agents in the squad room.

"I met her last night." Jenny mumbled.

"And you have no problem with him lying to you or actually keeping a secret like that from you?" Ziva's eyes had darkened even more than usual.

"I never really asked him if he had kids, Ziva."

"Did you have to, he could not tell you that he had a child with another woman? Where is her mother anyway?" Ziva's fists were clenched tightly.

Jenny leaned back in her chair, looking at her friend perplexed. It was very uncharacteristic of her to voice her dislikes so openly. It took a rather large bottle of scotch and a rather traumatic event for Ziva to open up, about anything. Jenny put it down to stress, which had increased over last few hours.

"Ziva this isn't like you." Jenny hoped it would avert Ziva from pushing her for an answer, because she in all honesty didn't know who Kelly's mother was, or if she even knew her mother. She only just found out that Kelly actually had a grandmother, maybe Jethro had more secrets than she thought.

Ziva was quiet, not willing to explain herself. She clenched her jaw tightly and moved back to where she came from, taking a seat and continuing to follow up on the bar where both victims had been seen. She knew that Jenny was too perceptive to see her out burst as just a friend who was concerned.

Seeing Tony and Kelly had reminded her of a time where her life had been much simpler, where the only monster had been in the dark corner of her room, and not the man she had always called her father. The little girl – Kelly – had reminded her of Tali, with her dark curly hair standing in all directions, her face innocent and young. An ache she was all too familiar with had settled over her, when she saw Ari and Tali instead of Tony and Kelly. Tali's death was still fresh in her memory and Ari's disappearance made her feel as if she had lost both of them at the same time.

The heavy clomping of boots coming from the back elevator, drew her attention, allowing her to school her features. Plastering a fake smile on her face she waited for the Goth to barrel into the bullpen. Abby came into view giving her a bright smile before coming to a halt at Gibbs' desk.

"Where's _El_ _Jefe_?" Abby looked around the bullpen.

"Right here Abs." Jethro said coming from the back elevator.

Jenny's eyes snapped to him as he marched towards Abby. Something inside her told her he'd heard her entire conversation with Ziva, she hadn't even heard the door to MTAC opening or closing. She was being ridiculous, she would have heard him if he had tried to eavesdrop.

"What have ya' got for me Abs?"

Abby handed him a piece of paper with pencil scribble on it, "The location for the farm." She beamed at him rather proudly.

"That's a good job Abby." Jethro kissed her cheek, "Kate, go tell McGee to meet me outside."

"I'll go with you." Jenny spoke up, closing the file in front of her and grabbing her coat.

"No." Jenny stopped momentarily from strapping her Sig to her hip. She scowled at Jethro before continuing with what she was doing.

"McGee's busy and I'm getting nowhere with this file, I'm going with you Jethro, whether you like it or not."

Jethro grabbed Jenny's arm making her look at him, giving him a murderous glare. He could already hear the argument that was about to follow, he wasn't comfortable with taking her right into the belly of the beast. His gut was churning more than usual, he had to think of something before she could argue with him about letting her go with him.

"No Jen, I'm not letting you out there when _he_ is prowling the streets looking for you." Jethro growled at the redhead dangerously, silently pleading with her not to fight him, but he should have known better.

"And he's not out there right now looking for Kelly?" Jenny's eyes darkened with anger as she glared at Jethro, her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Yeah, who's faults that?!" Jethro bellowed viciously, almost immediately regretting what he'd said, it had slipped out before he could actually think things through. He knew he couldn't blame her for what happened, she couldn't have known.

Those words coming from him stung more than it was supposed to. Jenny bit her lip hard, drawing blood as she stopped herself from not insulting him in front of everyone – be the bigger man, she told herself. She'd heard Abby gasp softly when he shouted at her, and hadn't missed the way Ziva bristled in her seat to stop herself from assaulting him, even Kate looked taken aback. Fighting back tears of anger, Jenny lifted her head and gave Jethro a dark look.

"Then stop wasting time, we haven't got all day." Jenny said with an air of finality and walked to the elevator.

Feeling three pairs of eyes on him, he grabbed his coat and headed to the elevator already dreading the car ride.

Jenny stepped out into the soft drizzle that had set out over the whole of Virginia, slamming the car door behind her forcefully. She didn't have to turn around to know that Jethro was glaring at her, she'd ignored him the whole trip. The heavy combat boots she wore squelched each time she took a step in the thick mud, she grimaced at the thought of cleaning her boots. Zipping her jacket under her coat almost all the up way to her chin she walked through the mud to the old farm house.

The Dodge's door opened and slammed shut and with in seconds she felt his presence right beside her, hovering close to her. Knocking on the rotten wooden door, she stepped back waiting for someone to open it. She looked at the old barn in the distance, noting the large doors swing a little in the wind but not giving it a second glance. Growing impatient, Jethro tried the rusted doorknob and pushed the door open easily. He shot her a look over his shoulder before heading into the dark house.

Rolling her eyes, Jenny drew her weapon and entered behind him. It reeked of moth balls and mold, a clear indication that no-one had been staying in the house for quiet a while. The house was empty, the only sign of furnishing the hole-eaten drapes that hung in front of the windows. She cleared the rest of the lower floor as she heard Jethro head up the stairs.

There was a thud in one of the rooms down the hall. Jenny inched closer to the last door she had yet to open, her heart was pounding in her throat. She was silently wishing Jethro was behind her to cover her if she encountered their killer.

Taking a deep breath she opened the door quickly, weapon aimed, "NCIS!"

Jethro heard a door hit the wall forcefully, followed by a shout and a panicked yelp. His blood ran cold instantly, with his weapon drawn he rushed down the stairs.

Heading down the hall he spotted the door that was slightly ajar, gripping his Sig tighter – his finger already squeezing the trigger – he aimed his weapon and stormed inside the room.

Jenny was leaning against the wall, one hand clutching the fabric over her heart tightly, her eyes closed. Jethro glared at her and lowered his weapon, holstering it. He placed his palm on the side of her neck, alerting her he was there, her pulse was racing but he still felt her tense when he touched her.

Pushing his hand away she opened her emerald eyes and glared at him slightly.

"What ya' scream for Jen?" There was the barest hint of amusement in his voice as he looked around the room.

"Nothing," Jenny answered shortly already pushing past him.

"It must have been somethin'." Jethro pushed, genuinely intrigued.

"There was a wild cat okay, I thought there was someone hiding in here. He ran straight into me." Jenny snapped already heading back to the foyer.

Jethro bit back a smile and headed after Jenny. He met her outside on the porch, once again looking at the old barn. He closed the door behind him softly and stopped next to her, "There's nothing here, might as well head back." Placing a hand on her lower back he ushered her back to the car, pleased that she didn't push him away this time.

They both got in the car just in time before the heavens opened and drenched the both of them. Jethro slid the key into the ignition and started the car. He sat back in his seat and looked at the house one last time. The uncomfortable silence that had surrounded them on their way here was back. Jethro cracked his neck and turned to look at Jenny.

"What Jethro?" Jenny snapped at him.

Jethro grinned to himself, "Didn't think you were a screamer, Jen."

The rather painful punch to his shoulder was worth the soft giggle Jenny let slip.

* * *

Kelly glared at Tony viciously, an icy blue glare that would make her father proud, her one eyebrow was raised and her arms were folded across her chest. She stuck her lower lip out and made it quiver slightly, forcing tears to form in her eyes. She knew exactly what worked in order to manipulate Tony into doing what she wanted.

Tony swallowed heavily – he bet that even if he told Gibbs the truth he would still be the bad guy in making the little girl cry – she was only three but she could wangle and force people to do almost anything, mainly because of who her father was. Tony shifted slightly, his feet were dead from sitting with his legs crossed for the better half of two hours. He'd move mountains for the little girl, but he drew the line at being a make-up doll, hence the pout and puppy-dog eyes being directed his way.

Adjusting the _boy_ crown that had been placed on his head he tried to be as stern as possible, "Kelly, boys don't wear make-up, that's something for girls."

Kelly crawled towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck and forcing him to look into her pretty blue eyes and say no, "Please, pretty pretty pretty please?"

Tony made a small whining sound in the back of his throat, his resolve was already slipping. He felt sorry for the guy who one day wanted to take her out on a date, he'd be broke before he even knew it. Silently praying that Joann would swoop into the room and rescue him, he gave Kelly a pained look.

"Don't you want to have another tea party?" Distraction, was his choice of weapon to deter the determined toddler from slapping thick layers of make-up on his face.

"Coffee party." Kelly corrected automatically, she he'd informed Tony that like her daddy, she only drank coffee.

"Yes, let's have another _coffee_ party, I'll even pretend to be Ducky again."

"No, I wanna make you look pretty." Kelly snuggled further into him, her curly her tickling his neck.

Tony grit his teeth. Gibbs was getting him back for those _GSM_ Magazines, he should have known he wouldn't drop the subject so easily. It didn't help his case that Joann knew about it as well.

The small Chinese Crested waltzed into the room spotting Kelly on his lap. Tony glared at the small dog, daring him to jump on his lap. Arthur cocked his head at him slightly before running and smoothly jumping on his lap. The dog whined and nudged his hand in order to be petted, after a thorough introduction the Crested had followed Tony everywhere.

Slowly moving away from Kelly and Arthur, Tony tiptoed out of the living room and headed to the kitchen. He was nervous, very nervous, Joann had persuaded him to let her leave without alerting Gibbs about it or allowing him and Kelly to accompany her. He wished that Gibbs didn't phone him to give him an update or wanting to speak to Joann. He could hit himself on the back of the head for letting the older woman sweet talk him into letting her go out for a few minutes.

Grabbing a glass and filling it with water, he headed back to the living room. He heard Kelly giggle and was pleased to know she was still okay. Looking around he felt himself being drawn to all the pictures that adorned the walls. They were people he didn't know at all, except for those with Gibbs and Kelly in them. He'd hoped that maybe there'd be a glimpse of who Kelly's mother was. It occurred to him that there was a possibility that Kelly's mother could be dead, it would explain a lot about Gibbs.

Hearing the slam of a car door, Tony downed his glass of water and headed to the front door. Looking through the tiny slit in the curtains, he was pleased to see the head of blond hair. The stress of having Gibbs find out was now less. Opening the door and braving the cold drizzle Tony headed out to the SUV to help Joann.

Tony stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Joann lift a small basket out of the back seat. His eyes grew wider when he saw a puppy cocooned in a fluffy blue blanket, it's large brown eyes looking at him curiously. Joann placed the basket in his hands and grabbed the two bags on the floor.

"You get a friend for Arthur?" Tony asked, stroking the young pup's head softly.

"No, he's Kelly's." Joann nudged him to get back in the house and out of the drizzling rain.

"Does Gibbs know?" Tony gave her a sly look as she refused to answer his question. He wondered what the Boss-man was going to do when he found out he had a new addition to his household, one that would happily chew his boat.

Kelly bounded into the foyer, Arthur following close by. She spotted the basket in Tony's arms instantly, already tugging on his jeans to get a closer look of what was inside. She clasped her hands under her chin and waited to see what Tony would reveal when he lifted the blue blanket. Her grandmother was crouched next to her holding her steady.

Tony lifted the blanket and the small Boston's head popped up, he yapped at Kelly before trying to get out of the basket and lick her face eagerly. Kelly squealed in delight, recognizing the puppy from the previous day. She lunged forward and easily helped the puppy out of the basket, plopping down on the floor and allowing him to lick her face and fingers.

"Kelly," Joann tried getting the little girl to pay more attention to what she was about to say, "you have to promise you'll look after him."

"Promise, promise, promise. Thank you Nana." Kelly gave Joann a kiss on the cheek before turning all her attention back to the small puppy.

Placing the basket on the floor Tony followed Joann into the kitchen, unable to hide the smile that came to him as he heard Kelly giggle in the background, "I don't think Gibbs is going to be too happy about this."

"Who cares. You should have seen them in the store yesterday, and I just couldn't bear to see either of them look so sad when we had to go. If Jethro doesn't want to keep him, I will."

"I think the Boss-man won't get a say if it comes to Kelly." Tony grinned at the older woman and she smirked at him. Both equally aware that Kelly had Jethro wrapped around her little finger, and she wasn't letting him go any time soon.

The patter of tiny feet came into the kitchen, Arthur headed straight to Tony, jumping against his leg whining softly to be picked up. Scooping the dog up and allowing it to sit on his lap, Tony looked at him almost sympathetically, "Now you're second best huh?" Arthur barked and curled up on his lap.

Pulling a chair out next to him, Joann took a seat. She slid a glass full of orange juice in front of him and leaned back in her chair, staring out the window, watching the water droplets run down the glass. She rubbed her hands together in an effort to warm them, "He's been distracted lately."

Tony's cheeks were full from a large gulp of orange juice. He looked at Joann sceptically, either he had missed something or she had finally gone crazy. Desperately trying to decipher who she was talking about, he swallowed his orange juice and cleared his throat a little.

"Who's been distracted?"

"Jethro," Joann gave him an annoyed look before staring out the window again, "he hasn't been himself these last few months."

Tony stretched slightly trying to see what she was looking at out the window. Thankful that she didn't really know him as well as his team mates, he pressed forward trying to fish for some information on Gibbs and a certain red-headed team leader, "Maybe he's involved with someone." It was a long shot, but he needed to know anyway.

"No, he wouldn't allow that to distract him, and Kelly would have babbled about it if he was."

"Maybe it's got something to do with Jenny." Tony said offhandedly, he'd noticed his boss being a little less, grouchy, whenever she was in the vicinity. It could also have something to do with all the coffee she dropped off at his desk.

Joann turned to face him, an eyebrow raised inquisitively, "Who's Jenny?"

Tony felt strangely _giddy_ about telling Joann about the beautiful redhead, payback for whoever told Joann about those magazines Kelly had seen.

"She transferred here a few months ago, along with her Israeli partner. She and Gibbs seem to have hit it off. Personally I think it has something to do with the fact that she's a redhead and that she brings him coffee almost every morning, and that she fights him on everything."

"Jethro always did have something for a fiery redhead." Joann said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She seemed almost nostalgic, as if remembering something rather sad.

If he hadn't been as perceptive on reading people, he would have missed it. Tony had determined rather quickly that Joann was Kelly's grandmother through the woman who had been absent from the girl's life, he didn't have to be an investigator to actually make the conclusion that she was dead. They all just held onto the idea that whoever she was had left, the reality was almost unbearable to face.

"Was Kelly's mom a redhead?" Tony asked softly, not wanting to pry any more but wanting to show he was there if Joann wanted to talk.

Joann smiled and nodded, her eyes shining with tears, "Yes, beautiful long red tresses that fell almost all the way to her lower back." Joann swallowed heavily before continuing, "Kelly however didn't inherit it, but she does have the temper." Joann laughed softly, patting Tony's hand that he had rested on her arm.

Tony left it at that realising that it was the most information he'd get about Gibbs' past. Drinking the last of his orange juice, he petted the dog that had become his best friend. He heard Kelly giggle and smiled, he couldn't wait to see her father's reaction.

"This Israeli woman, did she catch your eye perhaps?" Joann gave Tony a knowing smile.

He scoffed at her question, rolling his eyes, "Ziva wishes she caught a DiNozzo's attention."

Joann merely smirked at him. He wouldn't have gone through the trouble of mentioning her if he didn't find her somewhat attractive. The patter of sneakers on the wooden floor followed by the clumsy clopping of tiny paws prevented her from asking any further questions.

"Hey Jelly Kelly, you have a name for that little gremlin of yours?" Tony asked the toddler as she bounded into the kitchen the Boston Terrier eagerly chasing after her wanting to catch her shoe laces that had come undone.

Kelly plopped down in the middle of the floor again, pulling the puppy to sit in her lap. The puppy yapped happily before licking her face, momentarily forgetting that he was chasing her shoe laces. Kelly looked at the puppy, her brows knitted together, "No, he no have a name," almost glaring at the dog she asked softly, "puppy what your name?"

The Boston barked at her, wagging his short tail. Tony slid off his chair and sat next to Kelly, stroking the puppy behind his ear, "What about Humphrey or Bogart. No wait I have it, James for James Bond." He did his best to impersonate Sean Connery, which only caused Kelly to laugh and the Boston to tilt his head at him.

"No Tony, you silly." Kelly fell silent staring at the puppy intently. She was quiet for a while contemplating what to call her new friend. Her blue eyes lit up excitedly as she finally decided on a name, "Yoda!"

The pup barked excitedly and licked her face. Tony shook his head laughing, he should have known she'd pick something from _Star Wars_ , he still couldn't understand her fascination with the film. He did have to agree with her, the Boston Terrier did look like the green creature.

* * *

The rain had stopped for a few minutes, allowing everyone to brave the cold wind that swept through the city, already bringing the next rainstorm. Jethro tried to avoid the various puddles of water as he made his way back to the car. He balanced the tray with five cups of coffee in his hand, trying to fish for the car keys in his pant pocket.

Hooking his finger in the keyring, he pulled the keys out his pocket and quickly unlocked the door. The leather seats were cold against his back as he slid into the car, placing the tray on the passenger seat he started the car and headed back to the Navy Yard. He'd escaped earlier when each woman in the room glared at him, he'd left McGee to fight for himself and fled to the safety of the coffee shop he frequented.

Jethro's pager started beeping annoyingly, grumbling under his breath he unclipped it and glared at the unknown number. Knowing he couldn't ignore it he grabbed the car phone, punching in the number and waiting for someone to answer. He was close to hanging up when the dial tone ended and he listened to someone breathing.

Jethro clenched his jaw tightly, "What do you want you bastard?"

"I'm impressed. It seems Jenny has told you exactly how I sound on the phone."

"Where are you?!" Jethro ground out tensely.

"Now Jethro, that would be too easy wouldn't it. I have to say, it seems like Jenny has clouded your ability to actually do your job. You haven't found me yet and I've been so close to you, twice in a row."

"What are you talking about?" Once, he had only seen them once, Jethro distinctly remembered Jenny telling him he'd only seen them last night.

"You almost caught me at the last crime scene. Thankfully Ziva had distracted you enough to let me escape. Beautiful woman, all three of them are. Ziva, Kate and Jenny, it's a shame really that they have to die. I'll definitely take my time with them."

"I'll kill you. I'll find you and I'll kill you."

"I doubt that Jethro. You're too tired, you haven't slept in days, and the little time you have you spend with that gorgeous little girl of yours."

Jethro gripped the steering wheel tighter, his teeth hurting from the amount of force he used in clenching his jaw. "Let's meet, see how much of that is true."

"The house where I grew up."

The phone call ended.

The last thing Jethro thought of as he headed back to the farm was that he should let the team know where he was going and that they should come with backup.

All he could think of was seeing his little girl covered in blood. The fear that she'd be ripped away from him the same way Shannon was. His stomach clenched painfully as he got closer to the turn that would take him to the farmhouse. It briefly occurred to him that this was probably a ruse to get him alone, or a way to torture him the same way he did with Jenny.

Skidding to a stop, the Dodge's large eight cylinder engine was cut. Jethro opened the door slowly, taking in his surroundings. The old barn's doors were swinging slightly in the wind. Casting a long glance at the house, he headed to the barn instead. Jenny had seemed uneasy about the large wooden structure when they had been there earlier.

The cold metal of the Sig was welcoming as Jethro gripped it in one palm while slowly pushing one of the large wooden doors open to the barn. The stench was almost unbearable, the thick scent of blood was causing bile to rise in his throat. Moving forward hesitantly, he tried to keep every possible visual of the barn in his line of sight, not wanting to be surprised.

Taking a step further into the barn, he scanned the top floor carefully, making sure there was no-one hiding behind the large grass bales. He heard something crunch, but the howling of the wind made it hard to determine where it was coming from.

The pain that split his skull was immense, immediately causing him to become disoriented. He stumbled forwards and felt hot sticky blood run down his neck and back, staining his white under shirt. His eyelids where heavy as he blinked against the urge to pass out. Trying to grip his Sig tighter in order to shoot straight he turned around and was met with another blow to the side of the head, effectively knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Kate poked at her cold Chicken Chow Mein, trying to find the bits she liked. It was quiet without Tony running an almost constant commentary about nothing at all, which was a relief, but she missed the babbling Italian. McGee was too technical so having a conversation with him was pointless. Ziva was still fuming over Gibbs' actions, so talking to her was out of the question, and Jenny was just a no-go. For the first time Kate truly missed her partner.

They had all given up trying to find anything that could lead them to finding whoever it was they were looking for. McGee did however say he had an idea and that he'd ask Abby for help. Kate was still taken aback by what Gibbs had said to Jenny, it was uncalled for and she wanted to slap _him_ on the back of the head for saying what he had. The angry glares each of them had directed his way had worked and he left. Checking to make sure when he'd be back, she note he'd been gone longer than usual, shaking it off as him avoiding coming back she continued poking around in her Chow Mein.

A frustrated sigh escaped Jenny as she slammed the same file from that morning shut, the incompetence of some people occasional surprised her. She had never read a file more confusing and infuriating as the Booth file. The case had barely any leads to begin with and the deeper they delved the less they had. She had thought of any and every theory of how those girls ended up dead, she had gone in circles most of the time. The only thing she avoided was contemplating whether a twelve-year-old boy actually killed his mother, it was just too creepy.

"Let's say he did kill his mother." Both Ziva and Kate looked at her confused, Tim stopped typing and looked at her in interest.

"He was twelve at the time, it's not impossible. She might have abused him, which could have caused him to kill her." McGee had moved out from behind his desk and rolled his chair to where Jenny was sitting behind Gibbs' desk, all the while talking.

"They never would have suspected him in the first place. But it doesn't fit, wouldn't he continue killing women who either looked like his mother or who were prostitutes. Since neither of the victims look like miss Booth it rules out him killing them because of their features." Kate pulled a notepad closer where she had scribbled a few things she had run by Ducky. "None of the victims where anywhere close to doing what his mother did, so why kill them?"

"Are we even sure that it was her son, the blood could belong to another relative of miss Booth, it is not impossible." Ziva pursed her lips looking at Jenny.

"No it's not, maybe the killer from back then killed her son we just haven't found his body yet." McGee spoke slightly hesitantly, the thought of another victim made them all groan internally.

"He'd be what? In his fifties or sixties." Kate piped up, still looking through her notes.

"Gibbs would still be able to take someone down at that age." Ziva stated matter of factly, looking at the other brunet slightly challengingly.

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point." Kate said after a while.

"How old is Gibbs anyway?" McGee asked curiously.

"That's a good question. It's hard to tell, he might be turning grey because of genes or he had a kid really late in life." All three agents nodded at each other, each agreeing with Kate's speculation.

"You three are off topic." Jenny glared at them, she was still ticked off about what Jethro said, "Why would he change his M.O. after all these years? That's not really the way serial killers operate. And why has he been gone the last two decades?"

All of them were quiet. Jenny chewed her lip in concentration, things weren't adding up inside her head or on paper. She glanced at the elevator, willing Jethro to storm out and have the guy in cuffs. There was a certain form of dread in the pit of her stomach that had plagued her since they returned from the farm. Seeing the time on the small clock on Jethro's computer screen, she realised he'd been gone for a good forty five minutes. It usually took him fifteen minutes to go for coffee and come back.

He was probably avoiding her and everyone who had been present when he had blamed the whole situation on her. Something still didn't feel right, it wasn't like him to just avoid her, he usually made those around him leave so he could be alone. He probably just went to check in on DiNozzo and Kelly, it had been a while since any of them heard from the special agent anyway. Jenny rolled her eyes at herself, she was supposed to be upset with him, not wondering what kept him so long.

"What if he killed Booth's niece or sister, or even her brother? It could be a coincidence." Ziva broke the silence that had settled over the bullpen.

"There's no such thing as a coincidence." McGee and Kate said simultaneously.

Jenny rolled her eyes at them, Jethro had clearly brainwashed his entire team to think like him, but she had to agree. It was too much of a coincidence for it to be by pure chance that the two cases were connected. They were all silent again, trying to work through the maze they had to call a case.

The elevator dinged and Jenny spun in her chair, hoping to see the familiar cropped hair with streaks of silver in it. She felt her stomach clench when she realised it was the back elevator that had indicated someone was on their floor. Making sure of the time, another fifteen minutes had passed since the last time she checked.

Abby thumped around the corner of the bullpen, her pigtails flying behind her as she hurried towards the small team of agents, "Where's Gibbs?"

"Coffee, Abby did you get something?" Jenny tried to get the forensic scientist's attention.

"No, he's always here when I find something. Why isn't he here?"

"Abby he just went for coffee, I'm sure he'll be back any moment." Jenny tried to sooth the young woman, but she was starting to worry as well.

"Okay," Abby reluctantly gave in, "The DNA we found on Jessica Burns matches one Kyle Boone. Wanna know how I did it?" without waiting for them Abby continued, "Turns out miss Booth had a paternity test done. Lucky for us they keep records and the DNA we found matches her son's."

"We have a suspect. Do we have an address?" Jenny was already holstering her Sig, everyone else following her lead.

"The farm you and Gibbs went to earlier." Abby said smugly.

Jenny quickly paged Jethro's pager, waiting patiently for him to call.

After ten minutes passed and he didn't call her mobile or his desk phone, she felt the nerves from earlier return and cause her stomach to churn painfully. Dialling the car phone she waited for someone to answer, four sets of eyes were on her, each showing concern that no-one was picking up.

"Kate you try and get through." Jenny order tensely.

Kate shook her head when no-one picked up or answered the page. Jenny felt her blood run cold, a million things were running through her mind. Abby was already panicking, pacing around nervously back and forth.

"What if he got to Gibbs? What if something happened on the way back and he was hurt and no-one finds him? How will we tell Kelly, who's going to look after her when her daddy is gone? We have to find him! You have to find him Jenny!"

Jenny smiled at the Goth tightly, resting a warm comforting hand on her shoulder, "Abby don't worry I'm sure he's fine, we're going back to the farm. If he comes back tell him where we are. Everything is fine."

Jenny rushed to the elevator, the other three agents following closely behind her. She desperately wanted to believe what she told Abby, everything was fine. She knew damn well nothing was as it seemed, something was wrong and she had a feeling that they'd soon find out.

* * *

Jethro groaned softly as he slowly started gaining consciousness. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was too dry, his tongue almost sticking to the roof of his mouth. He was acutely aware of the throbbing in his shoulders and the occasional stab of pain in his knee. The painful thudding in his head was unbearable, making the thought of opening his eyes impossible. He jolted violently as the door to the barn slammed loudly.

Jethro grit his teeth when two fingers prodded the wound on the side of his head, the pain made him want to throw up.

"Open your eyes Jethro." He recognised the voice as the one from earlier on the phone. Wanting to prevent any further infliction of pain he opened his eyes. He struggled with opening his left eye and quickly determined that it was most probably swollen.

"What do you want you bastard?" Jethro choked out, his mouth was drier than he thought.

There was a swift sharp punch to his side, causing him to gasp for breath. It was only then that he realised that much like the young women he had seen, he was without a shirt.

"Manners Jethro."

Jethro kept his mouth shut opting for glaring at his captor instead. He was strung up like their victims, his wrists bound by a rope, most of his weight resting on his shoulders. Yanking at his restraints in anger, he tried lifting himself enough to stand on his knees at least, anything to take the strain off his aching shoulders. He was in too much pain to lift himself enough to move. There was another painful prod to the gash at the side of his head, he grit his teeth painfully tight.

"The least you could do is call me by my name." The man taunted him, squatting in front of him.

There was a reason Jethro was tied up – his back almost bent in half and his thighs pressed against the cold floor – because he'd kick the bastard's teeth out if he could just leverage himself up enough.

"Kyle Boone, and you Jethro, just made the biggest mistake." Jethro scowled as best he could with one eye. He knew he was treading on thin ice one wrong move and he might end up tied to a tree somewhere.

Kelly.

She was the only person he could think of in his pain induced haze. There was the briefest moment of relief that as long as he breathed she'd be safe. There was no saying what might happen if Kyle snapped and killed him. Jethro prayed to whoever was looking over him, that no matter what his daughter would be safe with the dysfunctional group of people he considered his family. The inviting pull of slipping unconscious again was tugging at him again.

There was a hard slap to the back of his head, increasing the pain to the gash at the back of his head, jolting him awake again, "A slap to the back of the head, it's you sign of affection right? I bet Jenny would punch you if you did that to her."

Kyle clicked his tongue disapprovingly and prowled around Jethro, occasionally digging his fingers into Jethro's wounds.

"Why are you doing this? Was killing your own mother not enough?" Jethro's voice was laced with pain, but he fought hard to mask it. Another blow was delivered to his sternum, causing him to jolt violently and his shoulders to ache even more.

"She was a whore!" Kyle shouted, gripping Jethro's hair in a fist and tilting his head up, "She deserved it." a menacing grin creasing his face.

Jethro bit his tongue from snapping at him again, trying to prevent any more blows. He swallowed heavily, trying to get some form of wetness in his mouth, it felt like he had swallowed sand paper. He was mentally cursing himself for not calling Jenny or McGee and telling them where he was headed.

"The other girls, did they deserve it?" Jethro choked out.

Kyle stopped prowling and stood behind him, one booted foot grinding into his calf. Pressing the sharp tip of a knife into his back between his shoulder blades, Jethro bit his lip, hard. He felt the tip sink into his flesh, followed by a small trickle of blood running down his spine. When he didn't make a sound Kyle dug the knife a little deeper into him until he growled in pain.

"You know Jethro, you've presented me with quiet the challenge." Kyle was in front of him again, the knife dangling between his fingers, "Should I leave you here, wait until that lovely redhead shows up and show you exactly what I'll do to her."

Jethro bristled, his blood rushing through his veins. He jerked his restraints again, but he was slowly loosing the feelings in his hands and his arms, causing everything to feel numb. Looking up he saw that his fingers were slowly turning blue from the lack of blood flow. Kyle raised his eyebrow at him but didn't deliver any form of torture.

The wind howled around the corners of the old barn, Jethro could see that it was darker than it had been when he had arrived and he wonder how much time had passed, desperately hoping his team had realised the coffee run was longer than usual.

Jethro felt the knife against his jugular, any more pressure and he'd start bleeding to death. He felt Kyle's breath against his neck, the strong smell of Aqua Velva surrounding him. Squeezing his eyes shut, Jethro Gibbs prayed that his daughter would be safe and that no matter what happened she'd always know he did everything to protect her.

There was a crunch followed by a loud crash, "NCIS!"

Jethro's eyes shot open, and he'd never been more relieved to see his team with their weapons drawn. He watched Tim, Kate and Ziva slowly make their way into the barn. Counting again, he realised Jenny was missing.

"Drop the knife Kyle!" McGee shouted loud enough to be heard above the wind that had suddenly picked up.

Kyle sank down behind Jethro, using the agent as an effective shield, "You won't shoot! Jethro's too valuable for that."

"I wouldn't count on that Kyle, Ziva won't hesitate to make the shot!" McGee bellowed at him.

Jethro glared at McGee the best he could, he sure as hell hoped his probie agent had a better idea than that. He knew Ziva wouldn't think twice about shooting him and Kyle if it meant they came out the victors, but for once he wished the Israeli wouldn't resort to her training.

He saw the three agents eyes flicker to something behind him and he hoped Jenny was behind him. There was another loud thwack before he felt Kyle's full weight fall on him, adding more stress on his shoulders. Jethro groaned loudly as his shoulders pulled even more in their sockets.

Kate and McGee rushed towards Gibbs, making quick work of moving Kyle off him and cuffing him. Ziva pulled one of her many knives from her boot and quickly cut the rope loose just above his hands.

Jethro prepared for the impact of hitting the ground with full force, but strong soft arms wrapped around his torso quickly laying him down gently. With his heart pumping twice as hard the throbbing in his head was almost unbearable, he grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut.

Focusing solely on the warm fingertips running through his hair gently and tenderly inspecting the wounds on the side and back of his head, Jethro allowed himself to get lost in the familiarity of Jenny's touch, reassurance that he was alive and that she was there. He forced his eyes open, staring up and into dark emerald eyes, she smiled that warm smile she always gave him.

Jenny waited for McGee, Kate and Ziva to haul Kyle out of the barn before turning all her attention to Jethro. She stroked the side of his face tenderly, shaking her head at him, "What happened to rule three? Or does that only apply to your subordinates?"

"Was busy." Jethro croaked out.

Jenny felt a tear run down her cheek and quickly wiped it way. Licking her lips, she pressed a kiss to Jethro's slightly chapped ones. Relief washed over her when she felt him grip her hand in his, holding her in place. Jethro pulled away slightly, trying to catch his breath.

Fisting a hand in Jenny's hair he pulled her to him, resting his forehead against hers, "I'd like a shower and then we can continue this afterwards." Jethro pressed another kiss to her lips before falling back and resting his head on her thigh.

Jenny kissed his forehead, and he could feel her mouth something against his skin, but the haze from all the pain made it hard to decipher.

Tim trudged through the mud and made his way into the barn. He gave Jenny a relieved smile, he'd been worried that Jenny wouldn't be able to find a way to get Kyle without shooting Gibbs. What he hadn't expected was her taking him down with a chair, he had to remember that one for his book. Kneeling he helped Gibbs sit up.

"Here Boss, thought you might want this." Tim gave Gibbs his NCIS jacket and helped the older man onto his feet, "Don't worry about blood getting on it, it's an old one anyway."

"Thanks McGee," Jethro said roughly, trying to stand on his own two feet. His vision was starting to swim, and he quickly took a hold of Jenny's shoulder, trying to stop himself from toppling over.

"Do you want some help Gibbs?" McGee took a hesitant step forward, he was met with a one eyed glare for suggesting his boss needed help. Looking at Jenny he saw her roll her eyes at Gibbs, ignoring the glare McGee quickly supported some of Gibbs' weight on him, "I'll escort you out."

There was a stifled laugh next to them and Jethro just glared at the redhead. She pursed her lips at him teasingly and winked, "I can walk." He growled at the both of them. Jethro slapped McGee on the back of the head and hobbled out of the barn. He didn't want to let them know that, however noble their intentions were, his shoulders were in too much pain for him to even barely lift his arms.

Jethro's boots slipped in the mud as he made his way to the two sedans. Both Ziva and Kate were stood in the light drizzle, their hands resting on their holstered weapons eager to shoot the man in the car where he lay unconscious. He limped to where they stood, glaring at Kyle. He could feel Ziva look at him guardedly, clearly battling with something inside her.

"Can't we just shoot him?" Kate asked darkly.

"Had the opportunity but you let it slip." Jethro turned his gaze to Ziva, speaking almost directly at her.

"Jenny had a plan." Ziva raised an eyebrow at him, her brown eyes softer than they were a few minutes before. He narrowed his his good eye at her knowing there was something she wanted to say.

"You three book him, while I take Jethro to Bethesda." Jenny spoke from behind them, breaking the unwavering stare between Jethro and Ziva.

"No Jen, not happenin'." Jethro growled at her. The last thing he wanted was a doctor to poke him and bend him, only causing more pain. All he wanted was to take a long hot shower, pick his daughter up and cuddle her for a while and appreciate the fact that she was safe and unharmed. Then maybe if he was lucky the redhead currently glaring at him would swing by and he could continue kissing her.

"I'm not taking no for and answer Jethro," Jenny placed both hands on her hips, "either you get in the car or you're walking."

Jethro glared at her, it felt like he was arguing with Mike Franks, he briefly wondered if the two of them knew each other. Feeling the dizziness return along with the urge to throw up, he gave in and decided that maybe it was a good idea to follow Jenny's advice. Without a fuss Jethro got in the Dodge, he was busy closing the door when he heard Kate call out to him.

"Hey Gibbs. If you see DiNozzo send him to the office, I'm sure he could help with paperwork!" Jethro smirked at her and nodded his head. Tony was going to end up with everyone's paperwork if Kate had her way.

* * *

There was a rather heavy smell of disinfectant in the air, an almost universal smell for hospitals around the world. There were crash carts being wheeled in and out of the emergency room, and medical personnel trying to calm down half the people in the waiting room. The doors crashed open and yet another cart rolled in, almost no-one paid attention, each too worried about those they were waiting for.

Jenny observed everyone from where she was leaning against the wall, waiting for news from the doctor who had ushered Jethro into an examining room. The worry inside her was starting to eat at her, they had to stop on their way to the hospital so Jethro could throw up the little he had in his stomach, and she had been waiting for well over an hour for any news.

Seeing him strung up by his arms at the mercy of some psychopath had gotten to her more than she was willing to admit out loud. She had wanted to shout at him and slap him for not telling her where he was going, but when she saw him battered and bruised it got to her. When he'd kissed her the best he could, she knew that stopping whatever was happening between them was not an option, she was in for one hell of a ride.

The door next to her opened and the young nurse that had accompanied the doctor stepped out. She turned down the never ending hall and disappeared out of sight, even before Jenny could pull herself together, mask the worry in her voice and ask her if Jethro was okay. Stuffing her hands in her pockets she clutched Jethro's watch and medical bracelet in her hand. He'd slipped them off saying they were chaffing his already raw wrists. Pulling the bracelet out of her pocket she ran her thumb over the inscription on it.

His name, blood type, and the words organ donor were engraved on the silver plate. She'd seen a similar one on Kelly's wrist the night before, although hers was more elegant. The young nurse from earlier rushed back into the room a blue scrubs top in one hand. Jenny huffed and tilted her head back against the wall, knocking it a little uncomfortably.

The swoosh of the door opening had her alert and ready to tackle the young nurse to the floor if she moved away again. The young girl looked at her a little frightened at her sudden reaction to the door opening. Jenny gave her an almost forced smile.

"Special Agent Shepard?" The girl asked hesitantly.

"Yes, that's me."

"Oh, uhm, the doctor said you can go in." The young nurse gave her a nervous smile and headed back to the desk where the others were. Jenny slipped the bracelet back in her pocket and went inside the room.

Jenny watched Jethro slip the scrubs top over his head and winched in pain as he struggled to pull it on properly. Resting a hand on his arm she stopped his movements and helped him pull the top over his head. When she was satisfied that he was dressed she met his gaze and returned the glare he gave her for helping him. Placing a hand on his cheek, she stroked her thumb over his cheekbone, feeling smug when he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

They were interrupted when another door swung open and the doctor came in, he gave Jenny a nod and looked at Jethro with a raised eyebrow.

"Now Gibbs, you know the drill, you've been in here with Mike Franks enough to know what I'm about to say. So no drinking, no boat building and don't ignore the pain pills they'll help. The swelling on your face will be less by tomorrow. If the dizziness and nausea return come back."

The doctor flipped through his clipboard, "The bruising on your sternum will be gone in a few days, but if it still hurts by Thursday I'd like to take a few x-rays and double check if nothing is broken. The stitches need to come out in about three weeks so I'll see you then. The cut on your back wasn't too deep it already started to heal."

Jethro nodded reluctantly, he'd known George since arriving back in DC after Shannon died. He'd been the same doctor who had seen him and Kelly when he had ended up in the ER thinking her cramps were some sort of incurable disease. He was also the same doctor who treated NCIS' finest when they where wheeled through the emergency doors.

"If you'll excuse me I have people to see." George shook Jethro's hand and turned to Jenny, "Good luck ma'am he's insufferable when he's like this."

Jenny smiled at the doctor and he left the two of them alone again. Jethro grabbed Jenny's wrist and pulled her so she was stood between his legs as he sat on the hospital bed. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, allowing himself to remember everything about her, from how her soft curves felt against him to the way she smelled. He pulled back his arms still around her, and looked up at her.

"I didn't mean what I said." It was the closest she'd ever get to getting an apology from Jethro Gibbs.

"What happened to rule six?" Jenny whispered in his ear, pressing a small kiss to the tight muscles of his jaw. Placing light kisses along his jaw, she stopped at the corner of his mouth, waiting for him to answer.

"It's better to seek forgiveness-" Jethro was cut of when she kissed him deeply. He opened his mouth eagerly, fed-up with having to hold back. Running his tongue across her lower lip, she opened her mouth and he wasted no time in touching his tongue to hers. She tasted like spearmint and something sweet.

Jenny pulled back, her eyes still closed. She tried to catch her breath, it was unexpected and probably the best kiss she'd had in years, or at all. He did taste like coffee and something that was so purely him it was hard to miss. She felt him kiss her neck and she knew if she didn't stop him soon, she wasn't going to let him out of the room.

"I called Tony, he's waiting for you." She whispered, knowing Jethro most probably wanted to see his daughter.

"Mind driving me to get Kelly and drop me off as well as DiNozzo?" Jethro nuzzled his face in the crook of Jenny's neck.

"No, it's no trouble."

Taking a step back Jenny watched as Jethro struggled to get on his feet without winching in pain. She rolled her eyes at his need not to show weakness and followed behind him, out the emergency room and into the cold night air. She grabbed his hand and laced their fingers, leading him to where she had stopped the car.

The heavy rain had finally let up and was slowly moving away from the city. Jenny watched as the last few rain clouds blew across the moonlit sky, mesmerized by the bright stars. Jethro squeezed her thigh, bringing her back to where she was. Seeing the traffic light change she eased the powerful eight cylinder through the dark streets of Washington. She didn't feel the need to talk or fill the silence with words, but she did want to apologise for putting young Kelly's life in danger and for letting Jethro get hurt.

"There was nothing you could have done to stop it or to know he was watching you." Jethro grumbled next to her as he rested his head against the headrest.

Jenny's head snapped in his direction, a slightly shocked expression flickering through her eyes, "How did you know that I..." Jenny stopped talking as soon as Jethro grinned at her arrogantly, "Never mind."

Jethro rested his hand on her thigh again, higher than he had before, and she could feel her blood rush through her veins at the easiness with which he touched her. Placing her hand on his, she squeezed his hand gently before focussing on the road again.

The sound of a car pulling up outside, alerted Tony and Joann that Jethro had arrived. Kelly was too preoccupied with her new puppy that she hadn't heard the car at all. She cooed at the sleeping puppy, snuggling him closer to her as she continued watching the film Tony had found on one of the channels. Tony set about quickly packing Kelly's backpack while Joann went to greet Gibbs. He couldn't wait to see the older man's face when he found out about Yoda.

Joann took a deep breath, readying herself for the argument that was about to ensue. She opened the front door just as Jethro trudged up the two stairs and stepped onto the porch. She blinked a few times taking in the bad shape he was in. She'd seen him hurt and bruised too many times to actually throw a fit each time he looked like he currently did.

"Have you seen Ducky?" She asked as she let him in the house.

"Went to Bethesda, I'm fine. Where's Kelly?" Jethro ignored the shocked expression on Joann's face and looked around the foyer for his daughter.

He'd been anxious to see her since the whole Kyle Boone fiasco had been dealt with. It was unlike Kelly not to be waiting for him at the door the moment it opened, he'd grown so use to it that it felt strange when she wasn't already waiting or barrelling from which ever room she was in. Jethro checked his watch, it wasn't even bedtime yet, and he wasn't seeing his senior field agent either.

"Is Kelly sick, or is she sleepin'?"

"Jethro there's something we have to talk about-" Joann was cut of when there was a loud squeal followed by the patter of small feet as Kelly rushed into the foyer, followed by a sulking Arthur.

Kelly rushed straight to her father, crashing into his legs and hugging him tightly. Jethro knelt to the floor, unsure that he'd be able to pick her up. Brushing her curls out of her face he kissed her forehead and wrapped her in a tight hug, relieved that she was alive and well and as bouncy as ever. Kelly's small hands pressed against his chest and he eased his hold on her a little.

"Daddy, why you have a ouchie?" Kelly's blue eyes were full of concern and the same fear she head when her father had rushed them to NCIS early that morning.

"It's nothing honey, I promise." Jethro smiled at her and pressed his forehead against hers. Kelly narrowed her eyes at him, before leaning in and kissing the bruise on the side of his face softly.

"Daddy, daddy, guess what! Guess what!" Kelly jumped up and down in excitement, gripping her father's fingers in her hands.

"What is it?" Jethro smiled at her again, relieved that she was her usual self.

"Nana buyed me a puppy, and his name is Yoda and I love him very, very much." Kelly said hurriedly, her words almost crashing into each other.

Jethro looked at Kelly confused, convinced that his daughter was suffering memory loss from the blows _he'd_ had to the head. He heard the stifled laughter coming from the living room, no doubt Tony enjoying this more than he should. Jethro shot his agent a glare as he came into view before turning towards Joann. The guilty look on her face was a dead give away that Kelly wasn't suffering from some sort of head injury.

Jethro glared at her, "You did what?!"

* * *

 _Thank you for reading. Please review ;)_


	9. Weekends

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own anything you recognize._

 **A/N:** _I apologize for not updating sooner, but I had to study for Mechanics. Thank you all for reviewing, I loved all the feedback, as well as to those who added the story to their favorites or who are following. I have no excuses for what happens in the chapter, I was tired most of the time._

 **Warning:** _This chapter is more of an insight in to what a domesticated Gibbs would be like, so just bare with me. I tried keeping everything within the age limit. This chapter hasn't been proofread so please do excuse all the mistakes, I'll fix them as soon as possible._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

 _Jethro glared at her, "You did what?!"_

Joann raised her eyebrows at Jethro, "You don't have to keep him he can stay here." She gave him her own glare.

Jethro sighed deeply, the sad look on his daughter's face was enough to make him want to apologise to her for being mean. He pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back softly as she fought against the tears. He hadn't meant to sound as upset as he did, but knowing his mother-in-laws taste they'd probably end up with some girly dog, not ideal for a three-year-old.

"What type of dog is it?" Jethro asked, clearly defeated by his daughter.

"Wait daddy, I brings him." Kelly bounded past Tony into the living room.

"You look like hell Boss. Hope the other guy looks worse." There was the slightest hint of concern in he young Italians voice. He'd worked with Gibbs long enough to know that making a fuss was pointless, and that as long as they had their guy it was a job well done. Gibbs gave him half a smirk before Kelly rushed into the room with a still somewhat sleepy puppy in her arms.

Jethro knelt on the floor again and carefully took the puppy from Kelly. He held him in front of him with one hand looking the pup over critically. He watched as the puppy whined and tried to wriggle out of his grip, yapping at him occasionally to let him go. Cradling the puppy in his arm he scratched behind his still floppy ear and was rewarded with a lick to the chin. Jethro gave his daughter a look, he'd already caved the moment he saw the Boston Terrier dangling from her arms.

"You promise to look after him Kel?" Jethro asked seriously. He knew he'd end up being the one taking care of Yoda but he liked him, and the bright smile his daughter was giving was well worth it.

"Yes!" Kelly nodded her head eagerly, causing her to stumble slightly. Jethro grabbed her before she could fall over.

Joann smirked at Jethro as he rose to his feet, he glared at her but she shrugged it off not least bit phased by it, "Are you staying for dinner?"

"No, wanna spend some time with Kel before she goes to sleep." Jethro said, still cradling the puppy in his arms and helping Kelly pulling on her jacket, "You waitin' for an invitation DiNozzo?" Jethro growled at Tony when he saw him simply standing around.

"Oh, Kate said she'd pick me up and drop me off." Jethro looked at him for a while, he supposed he better warn Tony about what he was getting himself into, but decided against it. He'd eventually learn not to trust her when she was being overly nice to him.

"Okay, see ya Monday DiNozzo." Jethro opened the front door to help Kelly out the door when Joann stopped him.

"Wait, Tony could you grab Yoda's basket while I get his food?" Joann asked already heading to the kitchen.

Jethro waited for the two of them to return before heading out the door. He heard Tony say something behind him but paid no attention, he ushered Kelly to the sedan sitting in the driveway and opened her door for her.

"Jenny!" Kelly said excitedly when she saw the redhead behind the wheel.

Tony stopped next to his boss and raised eyebrow at him, a smirk already playing on his lips. He greeted the redhead as he placed the basket and food in the car. Kissing Kelly goodbye on the cheek he closed the door and raised an eyebrow at Gibbs.

"So Boss-"

"Shut it DiNozzo." Jethro snapped at him before getting in the passenger side.

Jethro slammed his door shut and glared at Tony as they back out of the driveway, already contemplating ways to make the Italian suffer if scuttlebutt reached him about a relationship involving him and Jenny.

"How's Tony getting home?" Jenny asked.

"Kate's pickin' him up."

"Does he know he'll be at the office until tomorrow morning?"

"No," Jethro grumbled next to her. He twisted in his seat to make sure Kelly was still okay, seeing her concentrate on the remaining water droplets running down the window he turned back.

Yoda whined in his lap, looking at him with pleading brown eyes, Jethro scratched behind his ear again. When he stopped Yoda lifted his paw and nudged his hand, burrowing his head under his hand, wanting him to scratch behind his ear again. Jethro adjusted the puppy so he rested against his chest and continued to scratch him.

Kelly soon lost interest in watching the water droplets race each other down the window. She turned in her seat and scooted as close to her father and Jenny as the seatbelt holding her down would allow. She stared at the redhead for a while, clearly fascinated by the woman for some reason. She reached out and touched a few wisps of loose hair that had escaped Jenny's tight ponytail. She saw her father look at her and she froze unsure whether he was going scold her or let her be.

"Kelly..." Jethro said quietly, shaking his head at her. He was still unsure where he stood with Jenny on the whole _'I have a kid'_ situation.

Kelly looked at him before scooting back in her car seat and staring out the window. Jenny looked in the rear view mirror and watched the little girl mumble to herself, "Hey Kelly," Jenny saw Kelly's large blue eyes widen before she looked at her, "when we get home you can play with my hair if you want."

"Okay," Kelly said quietly, her usual shyness returning.

Jenny shot Jethro a sideways look as he stared at her, "What?" She was starting to feel uncomfortable with his uncanny way of staring her into blabbing about what she thought or felt.

"Nothin'." Jethro turned his attention back to the dog who had fallen back asleep. He stroked his shiny black coat and scratched behind his ears.

The dark sedan pulled into the driveway, lighting the house for a few seconds before the darkness returned. Jethro twisted in his seat and looked to see if Kelly was still awake. He stared into a pair of bright blue eyes and gave her a warm smile which she returned.

"Coffee?" Jethro asked as he turned back to face Jenny, he watched her for a while as she decided whether or not she wanted to take him up on his offer.

"Sure." She smiled at him, her eyes as warm and inviting as always.

Navigating the small path in the dark, Jethro fished the house keys out of his pocket and opened the door, allowing Kelly and Yoda through first before taking the dog's bed and food from Jenny and allowing her to precede him. He placed the small basket in the living room and headed for the kitchen.

Kelly grabbed Jenny's hand as best she could with Yoda clutched firmly in one arm and steered her towards the couch in the living room. She toed off her shoes and made herself comfortable on the couch and waited for Jenny to do the same. When the redhead finally sank down next to her she wasted no time on climbing onto her lap with the puppy.

Jenny smiled at the toddler and helped her get comfortable, making sure Kelly didn't drop Yoda unexpectedly. When both the girl and dog were seated comfortably, she allowed herself to pet the small Boston Terrier. Yoda yapped happily at the attention and licked her fingers whenever she stopped scratching his tummy.

"Jenny," Kelly looked at her a little unsure before continuing, "we share Yoda, okay. Then you have new puppy too."

Jenny blinked a few times, trying to understand how the little girl could so easily trust her. "That's very nice of you Kelly. Thank you."

Kelly nodded, satisfied with what she had accomplished. Grabbing Yoda gently she picked him up and snuggled into Jenny before placing him in her lap and stroking him softly. Jenny leaned back and hugged Kelly closer. There was a sense of comfort whenever the little girl was around, she'd seen it with all the members of Jethro's team and had experienced it a couple of times. She felt the little girl grow heavier against her shoulder as sleep finally claimed her. Yoda whined a little before snuggling right under Kelly's chin and grunting until he too fell asleep.

Jenny looked around the living room, taking in the somewhat messy area. There were various toys strewn all over the carpet, from _Troll Dolls_ to small racing cars to a few _My little Pony_ toys. There were a collection of small t-shirts draped over the back of a chair next to an ironing board. A place this untidy would have driven her crazy, but somehow it made the place looked lived in, unlike her Georgetown mansion. It felt as if it fit with Jethro being a single parent.

Shaking her head, Jenny scanned the rest of the room, hoping to see at least one picture of who Kelly's mother was. There were only drawings and various other pictures of Jethro and Kelly in the room, and even those were only just a few. There was a muttered curse from the kitchen.

Jethro stood in the doorway between the dining room and the living room. He watched Jenny stroke Kelly's cheek softly, rocking her to sleep. He was relieved and troubled at the same time. If things didn't work out the way he hoped they would, his daughter would most probably get more hurt than him. It was also the first time he'd ever seen his little girl so taken by someone beside himself, it made him almost reluctant to disturb them.

Jenny looked up, meeting his guarded gaze for a moment. She smiled at him and he noted that she looked more relaxed. He gave her a somewhat lopsided smirk before approaching her and taking Kelly off her hands.

"Mind bringing Yoda?" He asked Jenny softly, she nodded and picked the sleeping dog up and they headed towards the stairs.

After situating Kelly in bed and placing Yoda at her feet, Jethro led Jenny back down stairs to the living room. He wasn't gone long before he returned with two mugs and a bottle of whiskey. Jenny raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, she'd probably ignore the doctor's order of no alcohol as well. She watched as Jethro poured a rather generous amount of whiskey before handing her the mug.

She waited until he poured himself a mug before clinking them together and taking a much needed drink. Jenny's eyes grew in size as she felt the whiskey burn down her throat, she was used to the drink but it felt like she had swallowed something that was brewed illegally. Swallowing the mouthful, she pinched the bridge of her nose trying to force the burn to go away.

"What is this stuff?" She sounded almost winded.

"An acquired taste." Jethro said, sounding highly amused at her sudden shock.

Jenny glared at him, grabbing the bottle on the coffee table, she turned it until she could read the label. "You could have told me it's bourbon, I might have been prepared."

Jethro smirked at her slightly before falling back against the couch and closing his eyes against the pain. He jerked slightly when he felt a warm hand finding its way under the collar of the scrubs shirt he was wearing. Relaxing, he enjoyed the feeling of the stress being massaged away. It wasn't long before he felt Jenny move a little closer, her hand disappeared but was soon replaced when she pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Locating the hair tie that held her hair together, he pulled it out, allowing her long red locks to fall down her back. Jethro slid his fingers in her hair and fisted them, gently tugging her closer and angling her head so he could kiss her properly. It didn't take much for him to coax her to open her mouth so he could deepen their kiss. This time she tasted of bourbon, and he couldn't remember the whiskey ever tasting so good.

Jenny moaned softly, she wanted to kiss him even harder. She weaved one hand in his dark cropped her and pulled him a little closer. Resting one hand against his ribs she felt him tense and gasp into their kiss. Pulling away she looked at him apologetically. He shook his head minutely and pulled her closer again, not caring about his discomfort and kissed her a little less fiercely.

Their kiss drew to a natural end and Jenny leaned back, resting her hand on his thigh she looked at him with hazy green eyes. Jethro smiled at her, leaning forward again he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Holding her close, he closed his eyes and hugged her to him, assuring himself that she was okay.

Jenny disentangled herself from Jethro's tight grip and looked at him, "I have to go," she almost whispered.

"No you don't." Jethro whispered back, kissing her cheek.

Jenny laughed softly, she kissed his lips quickly, "It's late and we're taking this slow remember," she grinned at him and kissed him again, "you sound desperate the way you're acting."

Jethro glared at her but she simply pursed her lips at him playfully, kissed him and stood. He struggled to his feet, trying to hide the amount of pain he was in. Placing a large palm on the small of her back, Jethro walked Jenny to the front door.

Leaning against the door frame she pulled him closer by his scrubs top, "I suggest you soak in the tub, it'll help with the pain."

Jethro stepped closer, pinning her against the wooden frame, nuzzling her cheek with his nose softly. His breath was right in her ear when he spoke, "Wanna soak with me?" His voice sounded like smooth velvet as he growled in her ear.

Jenny breathed deeply, trying to hide the shiver and forcing the goosebumps to go away. She laughed low in her throat and smirked at him, "You really are desperate." He rolled his eyes and kissed her.

"Night."

"G'night Jen." Jethro waited until she was in the sedan and drove off. There was a tug on his jeans and he looked down to see Yoda asking to go out. Picking the puppy up he placed him on the wet grass and waited for him. Rubbing his wrists he realised he didn't have his watch or bracelet. Feeling through his pockets, he realised Jenny had taken them from him. He smirked, at least he had an excuse to see her.

* * *

It was still dark out when nature started to stir right outside his window, birds chirped and the world was slowly starting to wake up. Jethro rolled his neck from side to side on his pillow, his eyes fluttered open and then shut. He still had a couple of hours to sleep before Kelly would be up and running around. He sighed deeply, trying to forget about the pain and go back to sleep. He groaned when his stitches started burning from the friction caused by rolling his neck.

Jethro's eyes snapped open in frustration. The inability to sleep was starting to irritate him, the pain medication had worked out of his system and now he was left to his own mercy. Eyeing the orange pill bottle on his night stand, he decided against taking them. A soft thud alerted him that there was movement down the hall.

He was unsure whether Kelly had gotten up or if Yoda had decided nap time was over. He waited patiently for either one of them to saunter past his bedroom door. Jethro heard a hushed whisper, he smiled when he heard Kelly's small feet on the wooden floors. The half closed bedroom door creaked open further and a small shadow made its way to the foot of his bed.

Kelly felt her way around the dark room, using the edge of the large bed as her guide. When she could make out her father's form on the bed she placed a hand on his stomach rubbing gently, "Daddy," she whispered.

"Yeah, honey?"

"I sleep with you." Kelly stated. Yoda was placed on the bed gently causing him to groan anyway, Kelly soon followed gripping the sheets and her father's arm to hoist herself on the bed. Jethro helped as much as his aching muscles would allow. Kelly settled at his side, clutching the arm that was holding her close and snuggling her head comfortably on her father's shoulder.

Yoda sniffed around his new surroundings, Jethro eyed the puppy cautiously, "Psst! Hey!" The puppy stopped his sniffing and looked at him, its head cocked to the side. "You pee on this bed, you sleepin' outside." Jethro threatened the puppy.

Yoda wagged his tail excitedly and crawled towards him, already looking for attention. Jethro rolled his eyes and patted his small head. He was more than a little apprehensive about letting the dog sleep with Kelly, let alone with him, but the ten week old pup seemed to be somewhat house trained. Allowing him to crawl under the covers, Jethro sighed once again and hugged his daughter closer, closing his eyes again he hoped sleep would find him once more.

A state of rest had overcome him for what felt like fifteen minutes but had actually been two hours. Jethro lifted his arm to read the time and realised his watch was in fact still with Jenny. Glancing at the alarm, he decided that 0600 was as late as he'd be able to sleep on a Sunday morning. When he moved slightly Yoda popped up from under the covers, he barked and Jethro hushed him quickly.

Slipping from Kelly's firm grip, Jethro grabbed the Boston and headed downstairs. The early morning sun filtered through the windows in the kitchen, warming the whole house. Jethro located the key to the back door on top of the fridge and quickly unlocked the door. Placing Yoda on the deck he let him wander outside.

Jethro opened one of the many kitchen cabinets and located the sealed bag of Jamaican blend coffee, he'd dropped the open one on the floor last night. He set about making the bitter brew he drank in the morning, occasionally looking out the window to see if Yoda was still around. When he heard the dog snort instead of bark he knew he was still okay. He'd blamed the dog for his lack of sleep, Yoda had snored him awake more than once and he'd consider locking him in the bathroom a few times.

Satisfied when the percolator whirred, he checked to see if Yoda was still playing before heading to the quiet living room. Gently kicking a few stray toys out of his way, he flopped down on the couch, closing his eyes. The stitches in his head were stinging and he was regretting having moved around so much. The nausea and dizziness had subsided leaving him only with a dull throb of pain.

Yoda barked in the distance and the steady whirr of the percolator was slowly lulling Jethro back to sleep. He twisted on his side and rested his head against the couch, finding the awkward position more relaxing than laying on the bed. He was hoping – praying – that the pain would mysteriously vanish. The dog gave an almost frantic bark, causing Jethro to sit bolt up right.

The barking came from the window in the foyer. Letting out a frustrated groan, Jethro pushed off of the couch and trudged to the window behind the couch to see what the dog was barking at. The slamming of a car door alerted him that he had a visitor at six in the morning. His team knew better than to bother him when he was in his current position. He doubted he'd be seeing Jenny so soon, she'd probably give his things back when she saw him at work. Moving the curtain a tiny bit he tried to see who had pulled into his driveway.

Whoever it was had moved extremely quickly. The sedan looked familiar but he couldn't immediately place where he'd seen it before since there was another knock on the door, this time it sounded a little more urgent than before.

Jethro ran a hand through his hair, trying to smooth out the cow-lick. Mustering the best glare his swollen face would allow he yanked the door open and scowled at whoever was on the other side. His features softened somewhat when he saw Ziva standing near the steps, already heading back to her car.

"Ziva," Jethro said hoarsely, he cleared his throat, "what ya doin' here?"

Ziva sighed heavily, gritting her teeth. She'd hoped Gibbs would still be asleep when she arrived. She turned back to the door, smiling tightly at him, almost pained. He motioned for her to enter and she reluctantly stepped inside, he closed the door behind her and vanished into the living room. She stood in the foyer almost unsure of whether she should follow, or just slip back out the door.

Taking an almost hesitant step forward, she silently made her way to the living room. Gibbs appeared next to her, offering her a ceramic mug filled with coffee. Giving him a nod of thanks she took the cup and drank from it, trying to put off why she was here long enough. She was completely out of her depth, she had to deal with all of her emotions at once and she was having a hard time expressing herself.

Jethro cleared one of the chairs that were littered with various articles of clothing that he still had to iron and fold. He eased himself into the chair and motioned for Ziva to sit on the couch across from him. He was surprised to see her. Things between them had been tense since he'd almost shot her. He knew very little about the Israeli, only that Jenny trusted her with her life. Over the few cases they had worked together he did come to think of her as on of his own team members.

There was a look in her eyes that reminded him of a time he'd much rather forget. There was heartache in her dark brown eyes accompanied with anger. Feelings he'd experienced when his mother had passed away, it was different from losing his wife.

"You still haven't answered my question." He stated when he realised she wasn't going to say anything.

Ziva placed her mug on the coffee table. She avoided Gibbs' intense blue gaze, preferring to look at the various military books stacked behind him on the bookshelf. Licking her lips she laced her fingers tightly before speaking.

"How could you so easily let me shoot you and not worry about what would happen to your child?" She came across as angry, and she probably was, but Jethro could see something else in her that he couldn't really place.

Jethro cocked his head to the side, he narrowed his eyes at her, "It wasn't easy, but it was either that or a psychotic killer found her and murdered her." He sounded more harsh than he had intended but he could see she was surprisingly taken aback.

"What if we had been too late and he had killed you before we could get there?" Her tone was aching towards condescending.

Jethro was quiet. He didn't have an answer to her question, he hadn't thought that far when he had driven back to the farm. The only thing he could think of was protecting those close to him, even if it meant he might never see his daughter grow up. He leaned back in his chair giving her a guarded look. Shannon's face flickered through his mind, he'd tried to protect her, fighting the enemy on foreign soil and still he had failed. Maybe Ziva had a point to be made, what if he had failed?

Ziva laughed sardonically, shaking her head. She wasn't willing to admit that she felt jealous about what Kelly had and what she had longed for from her own father. She was envious of a three-year-old and to her own ears she knew how horrible it sounded, sad really. She felt her eyes sting with tears that she tried to fight.

"You do what you can to protect those you love." Jethro finally broke the tense silence.

Ziva looked up from inspecting her fingernails, she tried to hide the fact that her lower lip was quivering slightly. Grabbing her mug she took a long drink from the hot liquid.

Abandoning his spot, Jethro stood and made his way to the couch, placing a warm hand on Ziva's shoulder. He felt her tense and then relax slightly, he squeezed her shoulder gently, assuring her that he was listening if she wanted to talk.

"I would have done the same for you Ziva." Jethro grumbled softly. He suspected that there was a bit of history behind her question, history that accompanied the look in her eyes. He knew not to pry, but guessed all the effort it took to mask her emotions were slowly catching up to her.

It angered him, she was so young – almost the same age as Tim – and she had already experienced loss and pain in a way that no-one ever really should. That was the price to pay for working at Mossad, or more like Eli David.

Ziva's eyes were swimming in tears, but she refused to let them slip. She gave Gibbs a shake smile before returning to study the books on the shelf. Knowing that she could trust him not to tell the world, she finally decided to tell him what made her end up on his doorstep at six in the morning.

"Kelly reminds me of my sister," she swallowed heavily, "they both have wild curly hair. My sister was as happy and carefree too."

Jethro pulled her into his side, hugging her to him as she let a few tears slip down her cheek. He kept quiet, knowing no words of comfort would help.

"Seeing Tony and Kelly together, reminded me of a time that I would like to have back." Ziva whispered.

Jethro tucked a few strands of dark hair behind her ear and made her look at him, wiping a stray tear off her cheek. Giving her a smile he pulled her into a tight hug, assuring her that he was there no matter what. He wondered who Tony reminded her of, up until now he hadn't even known she had siblings. She had been hesitant to tell him and he suspected he was the only one who actually knew the truth.

The staircase creaked and Ziva quickly pulled away, her mask already slipping back in place. Jethro patted her knee before standing and heading to where the noise was coming from.

Rounding the corner he found Kelly midway down the stairs, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She yawned and rested her head against the wall, looking at her father with bleary eyes. Clutching her grey bear with one hand she reached out for her father, still sleepy. Jethro picked her up and rested her against his shoulder, kissing her temple softly he headed back to the living room.

Winching slightly at the pain in his shoulders, Jethro sank down in the nearest chair before dropping Kelly. He could see Ziva look at him slightly concerned, waving it off he adjusted Kelly on his lap so he could look at her. She groaned slightly, unimpressed, she leaned against him again wanting to go back to sleep.

"She is not a morning person, yes?" Ziva asked as she looked at the little girl.

Jethro smiled and shook his head. It was a blessing on the weekends, because it meant he could sleep in just a few minutes longer without having an active toddler, but when he was in a hurry in the mornings it became increasingly difficult to get her up and going.

"I must go. I promised Tony that I will help him with the paperwork." Ziva stood and downed the rest of the bitter coffee.

Jethro stood with a still sleepy Kelly in his arms, accompanying Ziva to the door. She took a step towards him and rested a gentle hand on Kelly's back. He watched as various emotions flickered through her eyes as she looked at his daughter. She smiled nostalgically and looked at him, "Take care Gibbs."

Jethro nudged Kelly slight as he closed the door behind their guest. She looked at him, her eyes barely open, she glared at him slightly before dropping her head back on his shoulder and snuggling into him. She yawned loudly and sat up in his arms, looking around curiously as if seeing the room for the first time. Kelly's blue eyes widened excitedly before she started bouncing around in her fathers arms.

"Daddy where Yoda?" Kelly wriggled to get down and look for her new friend.

Jethro shook his head, he should have known the pup would take his place eventually. Jethro frowned at her, pretending to think, "I think I sold him." Jethro smiled down at his daughter, but she only glared back at him, her eyes turning darker with irritation.

Kelly narrowed her eyes at him, her hands on her hips. Jethro bit his lip in order to keep a straight face. Kelly's hair was sticking up in all directions, she was pouting slightly in order to frown properly, she was pointing a finger at her father in a scolding manner.

"No lie daddy, is not nice." Kelly said through another yawn. Jethro laughed and scooped her off the floor, hugging her to him tightly. He started raining kisses all over her face, causing her to laugh and squirm.

"No daddy stop! Stop!" Kelly tried to say through another fit of giggles as her father continued to kiss her.

Jethro stopped and adjusted her on his hip, carrying her into the kitchen. She looked around, still searching for her puppy. Placing Kelly at the breakfast table, he kissed the crown of her head and gave her one of her story books to page through while he started breakfast. He heard something scratch the door, followed moments later by an almost sad whine.

Kelly perked up considerably when she heard Yoda on the other side of the door. She was already sat on the floor when her father opened the door and the Boston came barrelling into the kitchen excitedly. He snorted excitedly as he saw his mistress and headed straight for her with his muddy paws. He licked her face a few times before rolling onto his back and waiting for someone to scratch his tummy.

Jethro smiled at Kelly as she petted the puppy. It was a good thing she'd spent so much time around Arthur to know to be gentle when she petted an animal. Ruffling her hair, he stepped around them and continued with what he was doing, deciding to worry about getting the mud out of her clothes later.

Sunday morning was warm and clear, the blue sky giving almost no indication that there had been a thunderstorm the previous day. The neighbourhood was as quiet as usual on a Sunday, except for the occasional car that drove down the street. Jethro stepped onto the back porch, squinting his eyes at the bright light. He breathed deeply, taking in the smell of the wet earth. He heard Yoda bark, followed by Kelly shooting past him and heading straight for the grass.

"Hey! No runnin' in the house!" He tried to shout after her but she ignored him in her attempt to avoid Yoda from licking her in the face.

Taking a seat on one of the steps, he supervised the game between his daughter and the dog. Placing Kelly's sippy cup next to him, he just relaxed and took the rare moment of solitude to watch his daughter. They'd come a long way. She'd kept him sane through the toughest of cases, and had offered him comfort when he thought the world couldn't get darker. Kelly was the only constant in his life and he couldn't think what would have happened if he had lost her too. What Ziva had asked kept ringing in his ears. He'd hoped his team would realise he'd been missing for too long, or hoped Jenny would realise. There had been the briefest moment of doubt that anyone would actually look for him. Jethro scratched his chin.

Jenny.

He was unsure about what they called whatever was going on between the two of them. He hadn't had the time to really think, and over think, what was going on between them. He liked her, she wasn't the usual ' _housewife-ish'_ type of woman he seemed to attract, it was the same thing that threw him for a loop. She probably had the ability to knock him on his ass, and somehow he found that he actually like that about her.

There was however a guilt feeling in the pit of his stomach, the same one he often had when he was in a relationship. Joann had called him out on it a few times, but he preferred to ignore it. He felt as if he was simply looking for someone to fill the role as mother to his daughter, just so she could have some sort of normal upbringing. He had to admit he hadn't seen Jenny as the type of woman to stop and start a family, but something about her drew him to her.

"Look daddy." Kelly's giggle filled voice drew him from his thoughts.

Jethro blinked a few times before actually focussing on his daughter. The look of shock must have shown on his face because Kelly's face immediately fell when he didn't smile back at her. The toddler was almost covered in mud, from head to toe, her pink t-shirt and jean shorts with small mud hand prints.

Jethro tried to see where she could have gotten so much mud on her when he saw the mud puddle near the flower beds he had replanted. He grit his teeth, looking at Kelly he tried to stay as calm as possible, "Kel, why are you so dirty?"

Kelly's eyes widened slightly, knowing that she might have gone too far with playing outside. Offering her mud covered hand to her father she spoke hesitantly, "I show you."

Jethro took Kelly's hand as she led him to the flower bed where she had played. He stopped short when he saw, what he suspected was a little mud hut with something that most probably should have resembled a boat of sort. He knelt on the grass next to her, wrapping an arm around her, "It beautiful honey." He was rewarded with a bright smile and a muddy hug.

Throwing caution to the wind, he planted himself next to her on the grass and helped her build more huts. Yoda had curled up between them and looked on how they made their small mud objects. Jethro knew that he was probably supposed to be angry or upset with the fact that Kelly had ruined half of his flower bed, and had ruined a set of clothing, but he couldn't find it in him to be angry.

They were busy for a while before Kelly shifted closer to him and rested her head against his side. Hugged her a little before finishing his last mud hut. She crawled onto his lap when he was done and rested against his now bent knees. He tapped her cheek lightly, smearing a little mud on her cheek, and she looked at him with watery eyes, he frowned.

"Kelly what's the matter?" Jethro sat up, not caring that she pressed her dirty hands against his t-shirt.

Kelly sniffed a little, "Daddy," she sniffed again, "are you going to leave me like my mommy?"

Jethro felt the blood drain from his face, he pulled her closer, letting her rest her head under his chin. He rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. He had told her once that her mommy had left when she was just a baby because they needed her in heaven, but he doubted she understood or even remembered. It was probably cliché but he couldn't think of a better way to explain, a part of him wanted to believe Shannon was waiting for them somewhere.

He closed his eye, hugging her against him as tightly as possible. He should have known she was going to ask questions the older she got, the last time he got hurt she was only two and couldn't really understand what was going on. Letting her sit back a little he rubbed his nose against hers a little.

"No honey, I won't leave you." Jethro whispered softly, kissing her forehead.

"You promise?" Kelly asked, her blue eyes pleading with him.

"I promise, baby girl." Jethro pulled Kelly into another hug, rubbing her back soothingly. He felt her let out a shaky breath and snuggle into him. He ignored the pain in his side and sternum, focusing instead on reassuring her that he was still there. He was reminded of his conversation with Ziva, and he prayed that Kelly never experience the pain they had gone through.

The back door opened and closed silently.

Jethro gripped Kelly tighter, twisting he relaxed when he saw who stood on his back porch. He turned his attention back to his daughter, wiping her cheeks of the few tears. She smiled at him, her eyes shining once again. He scrunched his nose at her, causing her to laugh and kiss his nose. Helping her stand, she called Yoda and headed to the puddle of mud once again.

Jethro struggled to his feet, he was starting to consider taking some of the pain pills the doctor had given him. He rubbed his dirty hands on his jeans, making his way to the porch. He was a little surprised to see who had shown up, but pleased none the less. Smiling, he climbed the steps quickly, coming to a stop a few millimetres from his visitor.

"Hi," Jethro grinned down at her.

"Hi yourself," Jenny easily returned the smile, "am I interrupting something?" Jethro shook his head, leaning down to kiss her.

Jenny took a step back, keeping him at arms length, "Whoa there cowboy. I don't have any spare clothes with me."

Jethro opened his mouth to say something, but Kelly beat him to it, "Jenny!" The little girl hurried across the yard, racing up the steps. She was about to crash into the redhead to give her a hug but Jethro stopped her just in time. He picked her up and threw her up in the air, forgetting about the pain in his shoulders. He groaned softly when he caught her and settled her on his hip.

"Jenny doesn't want any hugs, Kel." The toddler looked at Jenny with something that very closely resembled hurt.

"Jethro!" Jenny said indignantly, she turned to the little girl and smiled, "Come here Kelly, I'll give you a hug." Kelly reached out towards her. Jenny easily took her and placed her on her hip. She met Jethro's gaze and raised an eyebrow, he scowled at her for a moment.

"Thought you didn't have any spare clothes."

"Guess I'll just have to borrow some of yours." Jethro smirked at her, he nodded and indicated they should go in the house. He grabbed Kelly's sippy cup and closed the door before the muddy dog could shoot past him and track mud all over the house.

Jenny helped Kelly take off her mud covered trainers and socks. Seeing the mud covered girl had reminded her of the rare occasions her father had let her play outside after a particularly heavy rainstorm, and how Noemi would scold the both of them for getting their clothes stained. She smiled to herself, trying to imagine Jethro asking for advice on getting stains out of clothing. The image made her want to laugh out loud.

"How are you gonna get these stains out?" Jenny asked as best she could while trying to mask her amusement.

Jethro glared at her, she was having too much fun with seeing the domesticated side of him. He rolled his eyes at her, taking the stained socks off her hands and chucking both his and Kelly's trainers outside to be washed later. She was still waiting for an answer.

"Gibbs family secret." He growled at her as he moved around in the laundry room.

Jenny shook her head, "If you want I can ask Noemi what her secret is."

"I know what I'm doing." Jethro bit back playfully.

There was a scratch against the back door and a whine coming from Yoda as he tried to get inside. Kelly frowned slightly and shuffled towards the back door. Reaching up and latching onto the handle, her father stopped her, "He's staying outside for now Kelly, he's dirty."

Kelly glared at the half closed door leading to the laundry room, "You dirty too daddy, but you inside."

Jenny bit her lip and turned to look out the window, her laughter was threatening to slip. She could hear Jethro mumble under his breath. She schooled her features and turned back around, she saw Jethro standing in the door glaring at her again.

"Well young lady, so are you and you're inside." Jethro retorted on his daughter's remark. Kelly tilted her head to the side and took in what he had said, "Head upstairs and get undressed so we can get you cleaned up." The little girl knew better than to question her father and headed towards the stairs.

Jethro shook his head, he waited until he heard the staircase creak before he moved. He looked at Jenny, who was leaning against the counter top, her emerald eyes glimmering with amusement. He narrowed his eyes at her when she walked towards him, stopping right in front of him. He raised an eyebrow at her, smiling slightly, she was almost pressing against him.

"You won't kiss me, but you'll hug a muddy toddler." Jenny smirked. Looping an arm around his neck she brought him even closer, careful to avoid the few bruises and stitches.

"I never said I wouldn't kiss you." Jenny whispered, her lips gently grazing his ear. She felt him grip her hips and pull her closer to him, his thumbs slipping under her casual t-shirt and stroking the soft skin of her hips. She gasped softly at the feeling the roughness of his fingers created.

Jethro pressed his lips against hers, kissing her slowly. She fisted her hands in his dirty t-shirt, pulling him even closer to her. She always seemed to do it, either pulling him closer, or burning him with the touch of her fingers. As the kiss came to a natural end he rested his forehead against temple.

"Hi," He grumbled in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Hey," She kissed the corner of his mouth, "how are you feeling?"

He shrugged, not wanting to tell her that the pain hadn't left him since it had been inflicted. He was hoping that occupying his mind with something else in would stop him from thinking about the pain too much.

Jenny breathed deeply, loosening her grip on his shirt. Resting a hand against his chest gently she took a step back, her expression showing that she didn't believe his non-verbal answer. She ran her hands down his chest lightly, reaching the hem of his t-shirt she slowly started inching it upwards. His skin was warm against her fingertips, the muscles hard.

Lacing his fingers around her wrist he stopped her from lifting his shirt any higher. Jenny rested her hands on his abdomen, one hand stroking the scar next to his navel. She watched as his eyes darkened, her stomach fluttered as he tugged her closer, his free hand already weaved in her hair.

"What we doing?" Kelly's voice floated into the kitchen, her large blue eyes boring into them as they jumped apart.

Jethro cleared his throat tucking his shirt back down, he could feel his ears burn. He noted Jenny's flushed cheeks and stored it away to tease her about it later. Turning to Kelly, he raised an eyebrow at her taking in the fact that she was only wearing her underwear, "What if your grandmother saw you runnin' around like this?"

Kelly shrugged her shoulders, not exactly sure what her father meant. She looked at him for a long while before finding something else interesting. Walking to Jenny she tugged on her jeans, looking up at her, "Do you know a astronut?"

Jenny stared at her blankly, not entirely sure what she meant. Looking up at Jethro she gave him a questioning look.

"She means astronaut." He supplied, looking on with interest as she tried to answer Kelly.

"I'm afraid not, do you?" Jenny asked, having already picked the little girl up.

"Once, but he no here he in space." Kelly informed her matter of factly. Jenny made eye contact with Jethro, he simply lifted his shoulders. He still didn't know what had led to Kelly being obsessed with space, or who the astronaut was she had met. Taking Kelly from Jenny he threw her over his shoulder and smiled at the redhead.

"We'll be right back, then I'll give you a clean shirt."

Jenny nodded and watched as Jethro and Kelly headed back upstairs, already having an argument about why the dog had to stay outside. Shaking her head she headed to the living room. Looking around the room she sauntered towards the mantelpiece where a few pictures sat.

They were mostly of Kelly, from when she was a baby to what looked like a recent birthday party. Only two had Jethro in them. One of them where of when Kelly was still a tiny baby, taking a closer look the small smile on Jenny's lips disappeared. He looked like he was in pain, not physically but emotionally, the look in his eyes was one she was all too familiar with.

It was supposed to nettle her that he didn't want to talk about Kelly's mother, it was clearly something that had had a great influence on their lives. The same way her life changed when her mother just left her father to raise her by himself. It was one of the many reasons why Kelly held such a special place in her heart. She knew what it was like not to have both parents and how sometimes she wished she had a normal childhood. It made her more understanding as to why Jethro didn't want to talk about it.

Taking the other picture off the mantel, she looked at it more closely. It was clear that it was Kelly's first birthday, if he cake shaped like a one was anything to go by. She smiled when she saw that both of them were smeared with red icing, this time Jethro had managed to smile at the camera, but the hollow look in his eyes were still there. Placing the picture back on the mantel she brushed her hands on her jeans. There were a few more pictures, most of them consisting of Kelly and the rest of Jethro's team. Moving on she turned her attention to the collection of books on the bookshelf.

It wasn't long before she heard movement on the stairs, she turned to see Kelly jumping down the last few steps and shooting straight into the living room. The grey bear that usually accompanied her held firmly under her arm. She quickly turned the TV on and bounced onto the couch, her hair still dripping with water. Jethro grumbled as he stormed down the stairs, a towel slung over one shoulder and a t-shirt over the other.

Jethro threw the t-shirt at her, "You can use my room, last door at the end."

Jenny caught the t-shirt, a sly smirk curling her lips, "Not afraid I'll snoop?" She joked lightly, but sobered when she saw he didn't smile at her attempt at a joke. Feeling slightly uncomfortable she headed up the stairs. Reaching the landing, she headed to the closed door, she felt slightly hesitant in actually going in.

Turning the knob she pushed the door open slowly, she didn't know what she was expecting to find on the other side. As if forgetting that Jethro was downstairs, she made sure there was no-one inside, rolling her eyes at herself she pushed the door open further. It really shouldn't have surprised her that the room was so neat and organised, he was a marine after all. She wondered what his eyes would look like with his head resting on the dark navy blue sheets.

Jenny widened her eyes at herself – she was really starting to think she needed help.

Closing it only halfway, she quickly pulled her dirty t-shirt over her head and slipped into Jethro's. Her senses were immediately assaulted by the smell of him. Despite the fact that it was clean she could smell the faintest hint of wood – and coffee – he always smelled of coffee. That small bit of information might have been the reason she had developed such an unusual need to always drink coffee, she was really turning into a lovesick teenager.

Folding her t-shirt, she spotted the orange pill bottle on the night stand. Knowing that it was a bad idea to _actually_ snoop, she threw all rational thought out the window. Keeping an eye on the door she inched towards the night stand. Grabbing the pill bottle she popped the lid checking inside, the bottle was still filled to the top. It explained his sudden change in demeanor, she bet he was in more pain than he was letting show, and having a hyperactive daughter probably didn't help.

Hearing one of the floorboards creak she dropped the bottle back on the night stand and quickly folded her dirty t-shirt. Calming her nerves, she headed back out into the hall where she found no-one, letting out a small breath she trudged down the hall. She stopped dead when she heard the pain filled grunt on the other side of the bathroom door.

Looking through the slightly cracked door she could see Jethro struggling out of his t-shirt. Shaking her head, she wondered how he had gotten himself in it in the first place. He twisted his torso, she saw the dark purple bruise that covered his side and sternum. Lurking behind the door, she took the opportunity to study him.

Although she'd seen him shirtless the day before she hadn't actually taken the time to really look at him. He had broad shoulder, his back and arms toned by years of hard labouring work. She licked her lips as she kept staring at him, the way he was twisting and moving made all his muscles taut and she couldn't find it in herself to actually look away.

"I can see you in the mirror." Jethro growled as he threw his t-shirt in the laundry basket.

Jenny jumped, banging her knee against the door. Rolling her eyes at herself she pushed the door open, refusing to look or feel embarrassed about being caught. She held her head high, meeting Jethro's amused gaze. She glared at him for finding her amusing, and turned to head back down stairs.

A roughened palm closed around her wrist and tugged her backwards. She fought against a smile – it surprised her how clingy he could be, not that she minded. His breath was hot on her neck as he buried his nose in her hair, holding her against him firmly, his fingers almost digging into her hips. She placed her shirt on the counter and placed her hands on his.

"Do you always spy on people?" Jethro husked in her ear, pressing a kiss behind it.

"Like you do?" Jenny shot back, finally feeling the embarrassment settle over her.

"I don't spy on half naked people."

Jenny scoffed at him, "I've seen men without their shirts before, nothing I haven't seen before."

Jethro met her gaze in the mirror, raising an eyebrow at her. His hands had slipped under her shirt again, his fingers drawing lazy patterns on her skin. She dropped her head against his shoulder, green eyes looking up at him invitingly.

"What you saying Jen?" Jethro asked in her ear, "You've been with a lot of men?"

Jenny stiffened at his teasing question. She grit her teeth, jabs like that – no matter how harmless they were – always reminded her of her mother. She knew he meant it as a joke, but it always felt like people compared her to her mother. Her grandmother on her father's side had always made snide comments about her mother having a lot of lovers before meeting her father. It stuck with her till this day. Letting go of Jethro's hands, she tried to loosen his grip on her.

Jethro frowned at her sudden change in mood, he knew he'd been rude when she had joked with him but he thought she'd understand that he wasn't feeling good. He met her gaze in the mirror once again, searching her emerald orbs for what he had done wrong. He could feel she was hostile towards him, her muscles where tense as she stood before him. He suspected it was something personal, refusing to let her go he hugged her closer to him. When he felt her relax a little he kissed her cheek.

"I think I should go." Jenny said softly, reaching into her pockets to take out Jethro's watch and bracelet.

"No you don't Jen." Jethro whispered in her ear, his fingers seeking to touch her warm skin again, "Stay. Have some coffee." Turning her to face him he kissed her softly, leaving no room for argument.

Jenny pulled away, her nails raking down his chest drawing a strangled groan from the back of his throat. She nodded dumbly at his request to stay, she'd probably end up drunk anyway if she were left alone with her thoughts. "One condition," she coaxed him into another kiss.

He grunted, indicating that he was listening, "You take some of those pain pills."

"It's grunt candy, Jen. It ain't going to work." Jethro scowled at her.

"Yeah and I'm not taking no for an answer. If you're worried about Kelly, I'll stay for a few hours while you get some rest. Deal?"

Jethro looked like he was about to start whining but he simply nodded, already brooding over having to take the pills. Jenny stroked his cheek, feeling his day old stubble. Standing on her tiptoes she gave him a lingering kiss before heading out the bathroom and down the stairs.

Jenny found Kelly on the couch, deeply engrossed in what she was watching. Sinking down on the opposite side, she relaxed a little and closed her eyes, taking the quiet moment to recollect her thoughts. She felt a tiny hand on her shoulder, tapping gently.

"Jenny, I sit with you please?" Kelly asked politely, clearly wanting to be close to her. Jenny lifted her arm and allowed Kelly to snuggle into her side, dropping a kiss on the crown of her head she settled to watch the cartoon currently playing.

They sat in silence for a while before Kelly started getting restless, Jenny let go of her and folded her arms across her chest. Kelly sat crossed legs on the couch, clutching her bear to her chest tightly, looking at the redhead instead of the TV. Jenny gave her a sideways glance before giving her her full attention.

"What's wrong Kelly?" Turning the TV down she waited for Kelly to speak.

The toddler squeezed her teddy to her chest, she looked at Jenny nervously, clearly having something on her mind that she needed to deal with. The conflict in her blue eyes were a clear indication that she was having trouble expressing herself. Opening her arms, Jenny motioned for her to crawl on her lap. Settling and facing the older woman she met her green gaze.

"Jenny, I don't have a mommy." Kelly whispered softly, her voice laced with tears.

Jenny pulled her into a hug and held her tightly against her chest, rubbing soothing circles on her back. She was at a loss for words, she'd never been good at comforting people, especially when it came to children she didn't have the slightest idea of what to say. She silently wished that Jethro would come down the stairs and defuse the situation, before she said something that was either upsetting or could lead to more painful questions. Feeling the need to at least say something, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Do you miss her?" It was not the best of questions, but with the lack of information concerning Kelly's mother practically left her in the dark about the whole situation. All she knew was she wasn't around and that did say much either.

"No, I not know her. Daddy say she leave but I not know where." Kelly mumbled against Jenny's shoulder, sniffing softly as the tears ran down her cheeks.

"Then why are you so sad?" Jenny smoothed her hair back, revealing the little girl's pretty face.

Kelly shrugged, something she had picked up from her father, and sighed, "All my friends have mommies, but not me."

Jenny closed her eyes and cradled the little girl closer to her. It was hard explaining something she knew nothing about. She'd been eight when her mother left and her parents got divorced, too young to know all the details but old enough to understand what was going on. It was hard to explain certain situations to young children, but it made her wonder why exactly Jethro was so elusive about his wife.

It struck her out of nowhere that maybe Kelly was the result of a night that had gone a little too far, it angered her that the woman would want nothing to do with her own child. Jenny shook her head, it didn't explain the grandmother, as far as she had been able to conclude she wasn't Jethro's mother. There were too many questions she wanted answers too, and with Jethro's reluctance to talk she knew she'd always wonder. Even if she did start asking questions there was the chance that he'd start asking some of his own, questions she most definitely didn't want to answer.

"Jenny," Kelly's voice pulled her from her train of thought, "do mommies love more than daddies?"

If her life had been different she probably would have said yes, but growing up with only a father and a housekeeper as her mother, it made the question that much harder to answer. Do women love their children more than men do? She supposed everyone had their own way of expressing love. She knew for a fact that her cousins were closer to their mother than to their father. She also knew that her father loved her more than anything in the world, and she could see the same with Jethro and Kelly.

Shaking her head she looked Kelly straight in the eye, "No honey, they both love you the same no matter what." She offered the little girl a smile. Receiving a toothy grin in return she held Kelly closer once more.

"If I get a mommy, will she love me like Daddy?" Kelly's blue eyes were shining with tears as she asked the question, her cheeks slightly flushed.

The question caught her off guard, there were too many complications and implications in the question that the words got stuck in her throat. It felt strange having to answer. She'd hardly even knew what to call this thing with Jethro, and she was in some way already forced to think about the future. It made her think about her plans for the future, she'd tried to convince herself that she could end it with Jethro before she got too deep, but something was continuously pulling her back to him.

"I'm sure she will, but your daddy loves you very much and you should always remember that." Jenny said earnestly, hoping to get her point across.

Kelly nodded, still sniffling a little. Jenny pulled her into another tight hug and held onto her for a while. Answering all the little girls questions made her deal with her past in a way that she had never thought about before. It made her look at things differently than she usually did – non-judgemental in a way – if that were even possible. Did her father love her more than her mother did?

It felt like it when she was younger. Back then divorce was unheard of, it was the type of thing that caused people to talk about you behind your back – maybe that was why she had such a tough time trusting people, and why she preferred the solitude of her own home. She sighed and held onto Kelly a little tighter, was she supposed to tell Jethro about their little conversation. If she did it would open a Pandora's box of problems and questions. Deciding to keep it between her and Kelly for now – Kelly would tell him if it really bothered her - she relaxed and turned her attention back to the television.

Jethro hobbled down the stairs, the room was slightly spinning as he moved through the foyer. Gripping the couch firmly he sank down next to Jenny, his face pale as he tried to ignore the pain in his muscles. He really shouldn't have picked Kelly up as much as he had. All the medication had worked out of his bloodstream and now he was paying the price. Gritting his teeth, he hoped the two pills he had dry-swallowed would kick in soon, he pretended to watch yet another repeat of one of Kelly's cartoons.

He felt Jenny's fingers caress the back of his neck, sending all his hair to stand on end. Her nails softly scraped his scalp where they had shaved off all his hair, he looked like he was still in the Corps. His head dropped forward as her nails travelled down the back of his neck again. He wished that she'd never stop, he was starting too relax and if she continued he'd probably have the chance to fall asleep.

Jethro groaned when she stopped and he shifted uncomfortably, the tranquillity-like state he was in disappearing. His eyes snapped open and he scowled at her mildly, she simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Thought you wanted coffee?" Kelly had long since crawled off her lap to sprawl herself across the both of them.

Jethro grunted at her, she could see he was in pain. The muscles in his jaw jumped occasionally as he grit his teeth. She rested a hand on his shoulder, the question in her eyes. He shook his head, telling her to drop it. When she opened her mouth again to speak he simply nodded, knowing she'd ask if he took any medication.

As soon as Jenny stood Kelly scrambled to her feet, eagerly following the redhead around the house. Jethro slid down onto his side, glaring at the animated characters on the television. He heard Kelly and Jenny talking in the kitchen, but he felt like he was underwater. He closed his eyes, his eyelids feeling extremely heavy. His last thought before he fell asleep was that it wasn't the usual stuff they gave him to drink.

"Jethro, do you want some coffee or not?" Jenny called from the kitchen waiting for some form of reply.

Looking at Kelly, she raised her eyebrows. The little girl giggled and headed back to the living room where they had left her father. Jenny followed behind her, when she heard Jethro's snoring above the tunes of the cartoon playing she knew there was no waking him.

Kelly giggled next to her again, leaning against her leg and staring at her father, "Silly daddy." She shook her head and wrinkled her nose quietly. Kelly grabbed her grey bear off the coffee table and stuffed it under her father's arm. She kissed his forehead and scampered back to Jenny.

Jenny ruffled her hair as they headed back to the kitchen. The toddler climbed onto a chair and sat, watching the redheads every move as she moved around. When Jenny sat next to her she looked at her with large inquisitive eyes, "Now what?"

* * *

It was late in the afternoon, and the heat of the day seemed to slowly fade as the sun started setting. It was quiet, surreal almost. Jenny tightened the messy bun she had tied her hair in, a few strands of hair framing her face beautifully. After hours of chasing after a toddler she was about ready to collapse, she had no idea where the little girl got all her energy from. Kelly was sat opposite her, her cheeks flushed from all the running.

Kelly eagerly drank from her sippy cup, trying to quench her thirst. Yoda was sat next to her on a chair, waiting for her to spill some juice on the floor. They had chased the little Boston Terrier pup all around the yard trying to catch him, he had firmly refused to take a bath. Now clean and happy again, he stared at Kelly, waiting.

Jenny scratched the puppy's ear as she walked passed him. Kelly smiled up at her as she placed a kiss on the little girl's head. Wiping her hands, she opened one of the pots on the stove and stirred the pasta. Satisfied that it wasn't turning out in a disaster, she put the lid back and took her seat again.

Kelly handed her a crayon and pushed the large colouring book towards her. They picked up where they had left off, colouring the same picture and trying to decide which colour would be the best. Yoda whined when no-one gave attention to him and jumped off his chair, heading towards his basket in the corner.

Jenny checked her watch, she was starting to worry about Jethro. He'd been asleep since noon and it was already heading towards six. Licking her lips nervously she left Kelly to continue with their picture, deciding to watch as the orange hue outside changed to purple and slowly started too disappear. Caught up in her thoughts, she missed the fact that Jethro had stumbled into the kitchen and had collapsed on one of the chairs, it was only when Kelly was giggling that she realised there was someone else was sitting next to her.

Jethro looked at his little girl with puffy eyes, giving her a lazy smile as she struggled to hide her giggles. Looking at Jenny he found her also hiding a laugh. Touching his hair he found the cow-lick that had them giggling, he wrinkled his nose at Kelly as he smoothed his hair down. He turned towards Jenny, giving her a lopsided grin. The faintest blush coloured his cheeks as he looked at her.

"What smells so good?" Jethro's voice was deep and raspy, causing her stomach to flutter. She stood, not wanting to risk what would happen if he spoke again.

"Pasta!" Kelly exclaimed happily, abandoning her colouring in favour of snuggling with her father.

Dinner was a quiet and laid-back affair, Kelly was sat next to her father who made sure she didn't slip the dog any of her food while they ate. Jenny smiled at the little girl who _accidentally_ dropped small pieces of her bread roll on the floor while her father spoke. It was rather impossible to ignore with the Boston's loud snorting each time something was dropped on the floor for him to eat.

Jethro gave Kelly a silent stare as she dropped almost her entire roll on the floor. He raised an eyebrow at her, silently reprimanding her for not listening. The little girl dropped her roll back in her plate and stared at her hands, her lower lip already quivering.

"Kelly," Jethro spoke calmly, his tone stern, "how do you think Jenny feels when you feed Yoda your food? She spent the afternoon making it especially for you and now you don't even want to eat it."

Kelly looked at her father with large blue eyes, feeling thoroughly chastised. She turned back to her plate, "Sorry Jenny," she mumbled before starting to eat the Fettuccine Alfredo that was made just for her.

Jenny looked at Jethro, her eyes just as large as Kelly's. She herself felt guilty for pushing her food around instead of eating it, she'd lost her appetite halfway through dinner when she realised that she could get used to something like this. Giving Kelly a warm smile she winked at her and returned to eating her pasta. It wasn't long before Jethro returned to telling her the story he had been busy with.

"So Mike had to explain to Joann why he was pouring almost half a bottle of _Jack_ in Kelly's milk." Jethro said with a slight chuckle. He had informed her who the two people were he had been talking about, and was relieved when she hadn't asked more about his mother-in-law.

"Who gave him the illusion that he had to give her half the bottle?" Jenny asked between bites of, now almost cold, pasta.

Jethro shrugged his shoulders, "I used to put a drop on her gums when she was teething, and only when nothing else worked. Never when she was sick." Jethro chuckled softly, "Guess he got confused or somthin'. You have to keep in mind this is a guy who married the same woman as his brother, twice."

Jenny looked at him in disbelief, "Really?" Jethro just nodded, he missed the grumpy ex-marine.

Kelly dropped her fork in her empty plate loudly, her pasta finished. She refused to look at her father and instead focused her attention on the redhead across from her. She smiled at her and pushed her plate away, "Thank you Jenny, is yummy." She moved around on her chair a little, but still refused to look at her father.

"You're very welcome." Jenny winked at her, trying to find the courage to finish her own plate.

Jethro rested a hand on Kelly's shoulder but she shied away from him, a rather downtrodden look on her face as she busied herself with stoking Yoda's shiny black coat. He shot Jenny a look and found her looking past him, far away from where she was now.

"Kelly, there's no point in being angry with me. You did something you weren't supposed to and now you have to deal with the consequences. Do you understand?"

Kelly looked at him slightly confused, "What is conse… conse-"

"Consequences," Jethro supplied helpfully. Pulling Kelly onto his lap he tried to explain the word to her as best she could. "You know how every time we visit Ducky for dinner, Tony always eats so much and then he doesn't feel well?" The toddler nodded, "That is the consequence he has to deal with for eating too much."

"Oh..." Jethro winked at her and kissed her forehead.

"Why don't you go play while we clean-up." Kelly slid off his lap and headed for the living room, Yoda following close behind her.

Jethro waited until Kelly was dumping her box full of toys on the living room floor and turning the room into her personal play ground, before he turned back to Jenny. He stroked the back of her hand softly as it rested on the table bringing her back to him. The far away look in her eyes disappeared as she refocussed on him.

Jenny gave him a tight smile, "I'll help you wash up." She started stacking their plates on top of each other. Jethro grabbed her wrist, his thumb stroking over her pulse.

"Stop Jen. I'll do the dishes you can keep me company." Jenny nodded and allowed him to take the plates from her.

Before she knew it they had done the dishes together after a rather playful argument, which she had inadvertently won. She was stood now in the doorway to Kelly's bedroom, leaning against the door frame she watched as Jethro helped Kelly settle on her bed. Yoda whined until he was lifted onto the small bad and he curled himself around Kelly's feet.

Kelly had already said goodnight and had insisted she stay while her father read to her. She smiled at the little girl as she rested her head on her father's chest and held her teddy closer to her chest as he started reading from the _Peter Pan_ novel that resided on her night stand.

Jenny rested her head against the door frame and allowed Jethro's deep voice to consume her. A soft smile graced her features as he painted a picture with the words he read. She felt almost nostalgic as he kept reading, it was a rare and painful memory she was reminded of. Some of the less hateful ones, ones of her mother reading to her. She had heard the same tale countless times, and each time seemed to be more magical than the first.

Jethro's voice slowly faded as Kelly's breathing evened out and she fell asleep. He read for a few more minutes making sure she was fast asleep, and moving so he could lay her down. Kissing her forehead softly he tucked her in and brushed her hair out of her face. He scratched the dog's ear and sauntered to where Jenny stood in the doorway. Turning the lights out and the night light on; he pulled the door halfway shut and motioned for Jenny to follow him.

Jenny checked her watch, realising that she'd spent the whole day with them, when she actually just wanted to give Jethro his belongings back to him. Reaching the landing she stopped, her hands already stuffed in her pocket, gripping the watch and bracelet tightly. Producing them in the dim light of the foyer she held them out towards their owner.

"I forgot to give you these back, that's actually why I came over." Jenny placed them in Jethro's palm and gave him a brief smile.

"Here I was thinkin' you just wanted a reason to see me again." Jethro jokes lightly, trying to get her to smile the way she had during dinner.

Jenny let out an almost breathless laugh as he gave her that lopsided grin. She fished for her car keys in the back pockets of her jeans, trying to avoid looking at Jethro for as long as possible. She knew that it wouldn't take much for him to convince her to stay a while longer, and the last thing she needed was to overstay her welcome. When she looked up he was right in front of her, his eyes boring into hers.

Jethro's hands slipped down to her hips, pulling her closer. She stepped closer to him, one hand still in her back pocket, the other resting against his chest. His breath was hot against her lips, enticing her to move a little closer.

Jethro pressed a tentative kiss to her lips, nipping her bottom lip softly. She moaned and before he could deepen their kiss she pulled away, pressing both hands against his chest. She was about to tell him they shouldn't when he lunged forward and kissed her, hard. Whatever protest she had was about to make died in her throat.

"Jen," Jethro spoke slightly out of breath, "stop with the 'taking it slow' bull. It's just kissing."

 _Not with you_ , she thought to herself, but ignored the meaning behind it.

"Jethro..." He shook his head at her, placing a finger on her lips, shushing her.

"I have a boat in the basement." Jethro said low in his throat, placing a small kiss to the corner of her mouth.

Jenny raised an eyebrow at him, a mischievous smirk curling her lips, "That how you lure women to stay longer?" She returned his kiss, playfully bumping her nose with his.

"About to find out." He stated, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim light. His hands were on her hips, his fingers bunching the material of the t-shirt higher so he could stroke her soft skin again. Feeling the goosebumps that broke out over her skin, he felt confident that he'd be able to have her stay a little while longer. Dipping his head he kissed the pulse point in her neck, feeling it skitter against his lips.

"I guess it won't hurt to have a look. Just to make sure you're telling the truth." Jenny whispered hoarsely.

Grabbing her hand in his, he dragged her towards the laundry room to the closed door. Winking at her, he pushed the door open and helped her down the rickety steps.

Jenny blinked her eyes a few times, trying to adjust to the few bright lights in the cold and dark basement. Her eyebrows shot straight to her hairline as she took in the large skeleton of a boat sitting in the middle of the room. Turning to face Jethro she looked at him in something aching towards awe.

Turning her attention back to the boat she ran her hands over the ribs, surprised with how smooth the wood was beneath her fingertips. There were a few stray tools laying around on the cement floor underneath it. She heard a few screws and bolts hit the counter top, but she ignored it, too captivated by the creation in the room. Hearing the soft crunch of wood shavings, she was silently thankful she had decided to wear her trainers instead of her ever present heels.

Jenny closed her eyes, committing the heavy smell of the wood to memory, a smell that she'd always associate with Jethro. Resting her hands against the ribs of the boat, she ran her hands down the smooth beams once again, wanting to find a piece of imperfection. Brushing her fingers over a still rough part of one of the ribs, she looked over her shoulder.

Azure blue eyes stared right at her, she gave Jethro an almost teasing smile, "You missed." He simply grunted at her and turned back to the workbench. She heard the clink of glass and a lazy rummage through a toolbox.

Folding her arms she stepped back and admired the skeletal boat as a whole. It was an impressive piece of work, more impressive than the stories she had heard around the office. It said a lot about the man himself, the patience he exercised in order to make sure everything was perfect. Jenny bit her lip to hide a smile. Spending almost the whole day with Jethro and Kelly had let her see a side of him that she was more than sure he'd hate those he worked with to find out about. Informing a certain _Very Special_ Agent that his tough-ass boss was a real softy, would put Jethro at her mercy for a while.

A mason jar filled with amber alcohol appeared in front of her, just smelling the bourbon made her nose burn. Taking the jar, she cradled it in one hand and turned to face Jethro. He was invading her personal space, like he usually did, and she couldn't find it in her to be irritated by it. Averting her eyes to something on one of the shelves she took a sip of her bourbon.

Jethro slid one arm around her, placing his already half empty jar of bourbon on the saw-horse. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her against him. He felt instead of heard her squeak with surprise, and laughed as he pressed a kiss to her hair. Pulling the elastic out of her hair, he allowed the tangled red tresses to fall down her back. She glared at him, but he simply ignored her.

"Like it better when your hair is down." He growled at her softly, wrapping a few strands around his finger.

"Hmm, good to know." Jenny murmured against the brim of her jar, taking yet another small sip of the strong whiskey. It was only the second time she had the drink and she was starting to wonder if Jethro hadn't lost his mind when he said it was an acquired taste.

"Do you give all the women you bring down here bourbon to choke on?" Her throat felt almost raw as she spoke.

"Only those who I know can handle it." It felt like it was his weird, twisted way of saying something deeper, only she couldn't quite get what he was saying.

Licking her lips, Jenny closed her eyes against the burn and placed the jar on the saw-horse as well. Feeling him tighten his grip around her waist, she dropped her hands to his hips, threading her fingers through his belt loops.

They met halfway in a kiss, each enjoying the mutually shared taste of whiskey. Jenny gripped Jethro's hips tightly as their lips parted and his tongue darted out to touch hers. The taste of strong coffee and even stronger bourbon, was something she could easily get addicted to if it involved him.

Jethro slowly started inching the grey _Marine_ t-shirt she wore upwards, exposing her skin to the cool air in the basement. Somewhere in the still rational part of his mind, it registered that she reduced him to acting like a hormone crazed teenager. He constantly wanted to touch her, or feel her pressed against him, he hadn't felt the need for a woman so strongly in quite a while. Bunching the material in a fist he trailed his fingertips down her spine, enjoying how she moaned and tried pressing against him more.

Breaking to catch their breath, Jethro buried his nose in her hair, pressing occasional kisses behind her ear. Feeling her starting to tense as his hands crept higher, over her hips and sides to her ribs, he knew what was going to follow and he was fully prepared to fight her, or at least change her mind.

"Jethro..." Jenny breathed softly, "please, stop."

Respecting her wishes, he dropped his hands from where he had been stroking her ribs and stuffed them in his pockets. Clenching his jaw, he met her hazy emerald eyes, he was comforted in a way with the fact that she somehow felt the same need as he did.

"I don't think I can do this, Jethro." Jenny grabbed her jar of bourbon and stepped around him. She started pacing the length of the concrete floor, occasionally sipping her whiskey as she tried to sort through her lust induced thoughts.

It was hard trying to explain to him why they had to take things slow. They worked together and although there weren't any rules against it, she knew there would be several complications. She hated being told what to do and he seemed like the type of person who took pleasure in telling others what to do. It registered that the person he was at work and who he was at home were two different people. It still left the fact that things between them could only be serious, they couldn't play with each others emotions, having a child in a relationship was more complicated than she had thought.

"Jen, I'm not asking you to move in." Jethro said from where he was leaning against the rib of the boat.

"What?!" She looked at him incredulously, "I would have thought that you'd be for the idea, not against it. Bloody hell Jethro, you have a kid, don't tell me you haven't thought about this before. That's why we should take things slow."

"You're taking it slow 'cause you're afraid." Jethro pushed off against the boat and trudged to his workbench, filling his mason jar with more bourbon, "Hell, I've had people in my life before who have come and gone and Kelly understood. She's smarter than you give her credit for."

Jenny watched as Jethro finished his mason jar with two large swallows. She felt like throwing the jar in her hand at his head for guessing why exactly she wanted to be careful with getting involved. People their age didn't get this far in life without having baggage from their past. She drank the last of her whiskey before slamming her jar on the workbench. Who was he, accusing her of being afraid when he couldn't even tell her who his child's mother was.

Licking her lips, she bit the inside of her cheek. She hated the fact that he had brought Kelly into everything, she had grown very fond of the little girl over a time span of three days and now she had a choice.

"Jen, I don't wanna get you in bed if that's what you think I want." Jethro stepped in front of her, stopping her from pacing around again, he wrapped his finger around her wrist, "I have to know whether you're serious about us starting somethin' or if you just want to have someone around to relieve the tension."

Jenny's eyes widened, it felt like she was the one having to tell him that. She knew she was at fault in some way, she was used to having a no strings attached relationship with someone. Work had required her to do so, she never spent more than a few months in the same place. As clichéd and stupid as it was, Jethro made her feel, something she had denied herself for the last three years. Sighing, she finally met his gaze.

"I won't use you," _I'd never forgive myself,_ she added silently, "just promise me we won't rush into things too quickly."

Jethro shook his head, his fingers softly tracing the inside of her wrist. Tugging her closer, he breathed her in, pressing his forehead against hers.

"You women are so complicated." He whispered softly against her lips.

Jenny laughed softly, "Yeah whatever." Rolling her eyes at him she tried pulling away but he tightened his hold on her and pulled her flush against him. She saw him winch in pain at the movement but it soon disappeared. She splayed her hands against his chest, stroking the hard muscles she felt under his thin t-shirt. She heard the soft sharp breaths he took to try and mask the pain he was in.

"You really should think about soaking in the tub for a while." Jenny murmured as she kissed along his tight jaw.

"That an offer, Jen?"

"Mmmh, maybe when you're recovered." Jenny whispered in his ear teasingly, listening to him groan as he kissed her neck.

"I feel fine." Jenny raised her eyebrow at him sceptically, not buying it. Pulling his head so she could kiss him deeply, she felt him relax against her, his hands sneaking under her shirt again. This time she didn't stop him, instead she relished the feel of his rough hands against her skin, knowing he wouldn't disrespect her wishes.

The longer they kissed, the more she realised that even though he liked touching her, he stopped himself from touching her too intimately. It dawned on her somewhere between taking a breath and gaining semi-consciousness that even though he wanted something serious, there were far more underlying issues that he wasn't willing to share. Ignoring it for now, she focused instead on how he felt against her.

When the need for air finally became necessary, they both pulled away. Jethro filled the two mason jars with bourbon again and handed one to Jenny. They were quiet for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Jethro scratched around his stitches, trying to ease some of the itch he felt.

He watched Jenny out the corner of his eye as she admired his craftsmanship once again. He didn't know where his side of the argument had come from. He'd never insisted on someone giving him a chance, they usually pushed him and that never ended well. He briefly wondered if the medication he had taken had caused him to loose his mind, he had pushed Jenny and he was at a loss for why he had done it. He liked her, Kelly liked her and for now that was all that counted.

Wanting to break the silence he grabbed one of the sanders and started replacing the sanding paper, "Ziva was here this mornin'."

"Oh," Jenny said next to him, placing her empty jar on the workbench and watching him work. She sensed he was feeling uncomfortable, as if the things he had said to her had finally registered with him. The silence returned and she instead watched him wrestle the small piece of sand paper onto the sander. She could see the pain had returned but chose to say nothing.

Placing a hand on her lower back, Jethro lead her to where she had inspected the smooth ribs of the boat. Running a palm over the beam he found the roughened spot. Having her step in front of him, placing the sander in her hands he took hold of her hands, silently leading her through the smooth motion of sanding.

Jenny took a deep breath as Jethro pressed against her back. He was warmer than usual, and she was more than sure it was due to the slight fever from all the pain. He left her to sand the beam, and she felt disappointed that he wouldn't be so close. Instead his hands were under the borrowed t-shirt again, his fingers kneading the soft skin.

Although she wasn't complaining and was rather enjoying the attention, there was something behind the fact that he was being clingy. It had something to do with his past, and she knew better than she knew her own name that any hopes of finding out what it was was impossible.

* * *

Abby Sciuto was currently perched on her steel worktable; swinging her platform boots back and forth, and taking a long drink from her much needed Caf-Pow!Her large green eyes were focused, along with two others, solely on McGee who was busy retelling the story of what happened a week ago.

"Come on McGoo, you're leaving details out here." Tony corrected with a mouthful of food, pulling his face at Kate as she looked at him in disgust.

"If you know the story so well why don't you continue." Tim growled at him, the irritation flashing in his eyes as he glared at the senior agent. "I've been telling you this story the last week, it's starting to annoy me."

"Get over it McCranky, now please do continue." Tony snapped back, already stuffing his mouth with another bite of his sandwich. He was hoping they could pass the little time they had left before it was five thirty and he could start his weekend, and since McGee hadn't warned him about Kate's evil plan to have him do all the paperwork, it was a nice way to torture them for throwing him in the deep end.

"Jenny told us to enter through the doors while she found an entrance from the back. When Kyle hid behind Gibbs I really hoped Ziva would be able to make a head shot. So when Jenny came up behind him and knocked him out with a chair, I think we all were relieved. That's it the end."

Tim finished quickly, glaring at the goofy grin that Tony had decided to give him.

Abby stopped drinking from the bright red straw, "That's it? No lovers kiss or even a hug. Tony I thought you said they kissed when Jenny cut him loose?"

She had turned a rather murderous look on her favourite Italian. He'd regaled her with bullpen banter between the two team leaders the whole week between sorting though all the paperwork he had to do. "You said they kissed." She was probably exaggerating the hurt in her voice, but it usually got her what she wanted.

"No, I said that? Why would I say something like that? I said they might have kissed between Jenny taking Gibbs home and dropping him off. Which I doubt 'cause Kelly was in the car and there was a puppy so it would have been awkward."

"Just stop, DiNozzo." Kate snapped at him as he tried to explain his side of the story.

"What Kate? You've seen how they've been acting around each other. And to support my theory, anyone of you _fine_ investigators notice that Kelly knew Jenny. Which means she's been seeing him longer than we thought." Tony glared right back at Kate, feeling confident when Abby sided with him silently by nodding her head.

"They had dinner together the night before." McGee offered when he noticed that his two team mates where about to rip each other apart.

"Wait, what?" Abby said, looking at Tim with wide green eyes, she and Tony shared a look before turning their attention to the young probie.

"How do you know?" Tony asked sceptically. He didn't think Tim had it in him to actually lie about something like this, but it didn't hurt to intimidate him.

"Well, I… we… Kate and I… we were there when Jenny asked him and he asked if he could bring a date." Tim easily blabbed the piece of information, receiving a glare from Kate for giving in.

Abby and Tony shared another look, this one full of mischief. They had a lot of money riding on a relationship between Jenny and Gibbs, and so far things seemed to be playing in their favour, all they needed were evidence and all they had to do was ask a loveable three-year-old.

"Now everyone is going to know McGee." Kate growled at Tim quietly as Tony and Abby rambled non-stop. Tim shrugged his shoulders, they were going to find out sooner or later.

They were all too busy to notice that there was someone else in the lab.

"It is sad, no. That you are all too concerned with others private lives than your own, yes?" Ziva startled all of them as she spoke.

Tony had automatically flinched when he had heard a voice behind him, he wouldn't put it past Jenny to slap him as well. He glared at Ziva as she stared at the four of them, not the least bit phased by the fact that she had scared the living daylight out of all of them.

"Jeez, Zee-vah. Ever heard of announcing yourself before speaking?" Tony turned towards the Israeli as she casually leaned against the steel table.

"Why would I need to do that you all know me, no?" Ziva looked at him perplexed.

Tony rolled his eyes not prepared to get into the whole meaning of what he had said. He had learned in the last few weeks that arguing with her was pointless, she constantly believed she was right. Maybe that was just a female thing, because Kate he had the same issue with Kate.

"What you doing down here my little ninja-Mossad-chick?" Tony gave her a charming smile as she glared at him.

"It is time to leave and you promised to show me a film." Ziva spoke while picking at her nails, not giving Tony a chance to deny anything. Kate raised her eyebrows, clearly impressed with the Israeli for wanting to spend more time with Tony than was required.

"In that case, I was just about to leave." Tony jumped up from the lab chair and stuffed the last of his sandwich in his mouth. Giving Abby a hug, he saluted the rest and lead Ziva back out the lab to the elevator.

The doors slid open and they stepped inside. Pressing the button for the squad room, Tony stuffed his hands in his pockets and swallowed. He had been surprised when Ziva had offered to help him with all his paperwork on Sunday. What surprised him even more was the fact that they had caught a case late Wednesday afternoon and they had closed it just before they all had vanished down to Abby's lab.

"The movie can wait Ziva. Finish your paperwork and then come over, I'll even help if you want." Tony smiled at her, his eyes warm and sincere.

Ziva returned his smile, "That would not be a problem, I am done."

"Really?" Tony asked in disbelief, he was starting to think he was the only one who took forever with paperwork, except for Gibbs – he still wrote his reports.

"Yes, you do not believe me?" Ziva stepped closer, almost backing him into the side of the elevator.

Tony grinned down at her, trying his best to look down her blouse. He yelped when she gripped his wrist and pressed her thumb down, hard. He pulled his hand away and clutched it protectively to his chest. She simply batted her eyelashes at him and resumed her previous position. Licking her lips she tilted her head at him again.

"What are we watching?"

"Don't know, what genre you feel like watching?" Tony sounded a little less eager to spend the rest of the night with her. He knew that if he so much as tried his luck with her she'd probably kill him.

"Oh, what is that one with the man and the woman who don't know each other but the son thinks they are perfect for each other?"

Tony rolled his eyes, " _Sleepless in Seattle._ " huffing softly he glared at the buttons on the panel.

"Yes that one, I think tonight we should watch that one."

The silver doors slid open, and both agents stepped out into a deserted squad room.

"You know Ziva, I didn't see you as the _chick flick_ type of woma..." Tony trailed off as they rounded the corner of the bullpen.

Raising an eyebrow he looked between the two people on the opposite side of the cubicle. They were both equally flushed and seemed equally out of breath. Tony grinned evilly at the two of them. He never thought that he'd ever see his boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, look almost guilty. Grabbing his knapsack he slung it over his shoulder and inched forwards bravely.

Taking in the tenseness of both people in front of him he thought he might as well push his luck while they tried to hide the fact that they had been up to no good.

"It's hot in here don't you think?" Tony smiled at them again, "Nothing a cold shower can't fix."

"DiNozzo," Gibbs growled at him dangerously.

"Goodnight!" Tony was already heading towards the elevator, not daring to look over his shoulder. He grabbed Ziva's arm and dragged her back towards the silver box.

He was mentally patting himself on the back. The doors slid open and both he and Ziva stepped inside, she waved at her partner as the doors slid closed. Tony punched the button for the parking garage and folded his arms.

Seeing her inspect her fingernails, Tony took a step back, allowing his eyes to wander over her. He didn't know what had come over him to ask her if she wanted to spend their Friday night together, if anything he was supposed to spend the night with one of his dates. She had been someone completely different when she helped him with all his paperwork. Thinking about it now, he wondered if she felt as lonely as he did on occasion. Tony rolled his eyes at himself.

Desperately trying to ignore what he was feeling, he resorted to what he'd been occupying himself with the last week.

"So..."

"I don't want to hear it Tony. Before you ask, no I don't know anything about what's going on between them." Ziva shot over her shoulder, still fiddling with her fingers.

"How'd you know?" Tony sounded surprised.

"We all have something to take our mind of things when it gets too much, no?"

The silver doors slid open, and they both stepped out. Ziva reached out and touched his hand softly, winking at him when he looked at her. It was a small gesture of understanding, but it meant more to him than he'd like to show.

Jethro tugged Jenny closer gently as they crossed the deserted parking lot, the Camero's tail lights only just visible as it headed out the main gate. Jethro shook his head as the large engine roared down the street. Turning back to Jenny, he saw her looking off in the distance, squeezing her hand he brought her back from her thoughts.

Something told him that whatever caused her to zone-out on occasion had something to do with the shredded letters in her waste bin. He'd snooped a little when she and Ziva had been out of the office; he couldn't help himself when she seemed a little more _bitchy_ than usual, and he'd seen all the variations of her anger over the last few months. He hadn't gone as far as having Abby put everything back together, Tony had been hovering over him constantly, and that kid had a big mouth.

He was exhausted from three days of doing nothing but interrogating the bastard that threatened those close to him. Dealing with a woman who could easily snap at something he said was not high on his list of things to do, so he left the shredded letter in the waste bin.

Slowing to a stop, Jethro chucked his backpack through the open window of his old _Ford_ truck. He waited as Jenny placed her belongings in her car and stopped in front of him again. She rested her hands on his hips, threading her fingers through his belt loops.

The hype of almost being caught earlier was still coursing through the both of them. They weren't trying to hide anything, but they hadn't felt the need to tell the whole world that – yes – they were in fact seeing each other.

"You still free this weekend?" Jethro grumbled in Jenny's ear, finding it rather amusing the way her skin broke out in goosebumps.

Jenny regained her composure, shooting him a mild glare, "Mmmh, maybe. There's this little girl who called me a few nights ago, asking if I wanted to go to the aquarium with her." she could see the grin forming on his lips as she continued, "I promised her I would join her."

Pressing a kiss to his lips she lowered her voice to a sultry whisper, "It doesn't hurt that she's got a cute dad either." Jenny took in the slight pinkish colour of Jethro's cheeks, finding it amusing that he was shy. Something she found somewhat endearing about him.

"Guess I'll just have to steal you away then." He growled at her.

Jenny gave him a throaty laugh in return. She heard the low rumble in his throat as he laughed with her, looking up into his eyes she noticed that his laugh didn't quite reach his eyes. The usual azure eyes were guarded and the look on his face was as if he had been reliving a memory. Knowing that he was still taking pain pills – due to her insistence – she decided not to push him on the subject, hoping that it was due to the pills.

"I'll see you tomorrow, about eight?" Jenny stepped away from Jethro, extracting her hands from where they were holding his hips and slipping them into her pockets.

Jethro nodded, pulling her closer again and kissing her. She winked at him as she slid into the driver's seat. He watched her pull out and drive off.

Taking a deep breath he leaned against the door of his old truck. He remembered saying the same thing to someone else once. He was thrown off guard when Jenny's usually inviting green eyes had turned the clearest shade of blue. He dug his fingers into the back of his neck, trying to think of something else.

There was something about her that wrecked havoc with his mind and emotions. He very rarely saw his dead wife when looking at someone he was involved with, instead he concentrated on the things that were far from her, and drove those close to him away like that.

Ignoring everything that was bothering him, he got inside his truck and set off to pick up and overly excited toddler. He was already contemplating how he was going to get her to calm down and go to sleep.

* * *

Kelly was seated on the second step of the staircase, staring at the door intently. Yoda was seated in her lap, licking her chin occasionally trying to get her attention in order for her to pet him. He whined a few times when he realised she wasn't in the mood to play with him. Sulking, he jumped off her lap and headed to where his other master was.

Kelly stretched her legs out in front of her, banging the heels of her _All Star_ sneakers on the bottom step. She sighed deeply before continuing with her visual on the front door. The last thing the little girl had was patience, and waiting for her friend to arrive was slowly driving her crazy. Leaning her head against the wall she stared out the window.

"Daddy, we call Jenny, maybe she forget." Kelly looked at him, her lower lip threatening to start quivering.

"No Kelly, Jenny will be here soon. You're just excited, why don't you play with Yoda and your toys while we wait?"

"No, I wait for Jenny." Kelly said almost dejectedly, returning her gaze to the window that overlooked the driveway.

Jethro shook his head and returned to his newspaper. He occasionally checked if Kelly was still okay, but given her unmoving position he had nothing to worry about. He felt Yoda lean against him before he started whining, begging to be picked up.

Reaching down he picked the young Boston up and placed him in his lap; glaring at the dog to calm down. The puppy settled down and curled up in his lap, resting his head on Jethro's arm. Jethro scratched his ears, stroking his black and white coat.

He had started liking the puppy more and more, apart from the fact that he was almost impossible to house train. He was alert and playful, and he and Kelly seemed to be inseparable. Adjusting the puppy so he lay in the crook of his arm, Jethro returned to reading his paper, Yoda groaned from the movement but soon went back to sleep.

Kelly jumped up all of the sudden, her sneakers squeaking on the wooden floor. Yoda stirred on Jethro's lap, barking at the sudden racket he heard. Looking up at him he whined to be put on the floor. When his paws were on the ground he shot straight towards the door, trying his best to sound threatening as he barked at whoever was on the other side of the door.

Jethro laughed at the fact that the puppy snorted more than he barked. He heard the front door open and Kelly's footsteps thump down the few steps. Folding his news paper and placing it on the coffee table, he quickly followed the two outside before Yoda ended up on the street. The puppy seemed to be extremely attracted to playing chicken with cars.

Jethro quickly grabbed Yoda before he could even get down the steps, tucking him under his arm he watched as Kelly headed straight for the now parked car in his driveway.

Jenny watched as Kelly barrelled towards her, the excitement shown clearly in her large blue eyes. She had just closed her door when the toddler crashed into her legs hugging her tightly. She laughed as Kelly stepped away form her and broke out in a ramble of words that would make Abby proud.

"Jenny you came!" Kelly shrieked, bouncing up and down.

Jenny quickly locked her car before swinging the little girl up in her arms. She ruffled the little girl's hair affectionately, "I promised, didn't I?" Kelly giggled and nodded enthusiastically. Navigating the narrow footpath and an excited toddler, Jenny made her way to the front porch where Jethro stood, waiting for them.

"Wanna swap?" Jethro asked as they ascended up the few steps, he knew first hand how heavy Kelly could get when she bounced around while being held.

"I've got her." Jenny replied, easily adjusting the toddler on her hip.

Jethro stared at the two of them for a while, his thoughts running away with him. He'd watched the two of them interact in the driveway, feeling the worry of Kelly disliking Jenny dissipate even more. Thinking about it now he didn't even know why he worried. Running his gaze over the redhead he noted that he could easily picture her as a mother.

Jethro widened his eyes, taken aback by the route his own thought had taken. It was dangerous territory and if Jenny found out, he'd have hell to pay. Yoda wriggled under his arm, trying to get closer to Jenny as she scratched under his chin. Kelly was tugging on his jeans, trying to get his attention. It was only then that he noticed that he had been staring at the redhead for quite some time.

"Daddy," Kelly whined next to him again, "Jenny here now, can we go?"

Jethro cleared his throat, "Sure honey, go grab your backpack."

Yoda yapped as Jenny placed him on the floor to follow Kelly, he bounded through the door. Jethro grit his teeth as he heard the pup crash into something, the Boston was extremely clumsy.

Jenny fiddled with her watch, running her fingers over the delicate silver band. Looking back up, she met smirking blue eyes; she felt her own grin tug at the corner of her lips. A soft sigh escaped her as she felt Jethro pull her closer, his lips brushing hers.

Jethro slowly pulled away, placing one last kiss on her cheek. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, noting that she had left her hair down. He leaned in to kiss her again, when she dropped her gaze and turned her head away. He frowned, wondering what happened in the last minute. The slightest movement caught his eyes and he realised why she had turned away.

Kelly was staring at the both of them, her head tilted to the side, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Sliding her hands into her jean pockets she stepped closer, looking between them. Turning towards her father she looked up at him.

"Nana say boys kiss girls 'cause they like them." Kelly regarded her father seriously, "Daddy, you like Jenny?"

Jethro looked from his daughter to the woman next to him, he saw the faint blush on Jenny's cheeks. Kneeling in front of the toddler he pulled her closer, hugging her to him, "Yes Kelly, I like Jenny."

The little girl was quiet for a moment, staring at her father with large blue eyes, "I like Kyle, I kiss him too?"

Jethro's gaze darkened, he didn't know who the kid was but he didn't like his name at all. Anyone named Kyle spelled trouble to him. Scrubbing a hand over his face, Jethro shifted, lifting Kelly so she was sat on his knee facing him. Brushing a few curls out of her face he made her look at him.

"Kelly, honey, kissing is for adults. It's our way of telling someone we like them, 'cause we don't always have the guts." Jethro could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, the intense green gaze on the back of his head didn't help much either.

"I no kiss Kyle?" Kelly's blue eyes widened as her father glared at her slightly.

"No." Jethro growled at her tensely, various scenes flashing through his mind of Kelly as a teenager being corrupted by a good for nothing criminal. "If Kyle ever comes near you-"

The gentle squeeze to his shoulder caused him to trail off. He met Jenny's amused green eyes, a soft smile curling her lips. Jethro took a deep breath, reminding himself that his daughter was only three years old and extremely curious. Brushing her hair out of her face, Jethro kissed Kelly's forehead.

"No kissing boys until you're thirty, okay?" Jethro warned her playfully, rubbing his nose against hers affectionately. Kelly giggled softly before placing a sloppy kiss to her father's cheek.

"I kiss you daddy." Jethro laughed low in his throat, giving her another tight hug.

Jenny smiled at the two of them as Jethro rose to his feet and settled the toddler on his hip. His eyes were large and bright blue, a playful look hiding in the light irises. They both looked at her expectantly, "Shall we go?" she asked the two of them.

Kelly nodded eagerly looking at her father for confirmation, "Yeah sure, I'll just lock up."

The early morning car ride was anything but quiet. It had been a struggle to strap the hyperactive toddler into her car seat, they hadn't been in the road long before she decided to mumble or hum to every song that came on the radio, it wasn't long before he heard another voice joining in. Looking at Jenny she simply shrugged her shoulders and continued singing.

The – pop, rave, techno – whatever they called it, was starting to annoy him. Changing the channel, he smiled proudly at himself, country never failed. One voice had trailed off and the other was still humming or singing, he could quite understand what Kelly was doing in the back seat.

He was expecting to find a glare directed his way – few people actually appreciated old country songs the way he did – instead he saw Jenny stare out the window, clearly lost in thought. He reached across the centre console and rested a hand on her thigh, squeezing gently, letting her know that he was there. He suspected that she was still a little rattled about the whole Kyle Boone case – and he couldn't blame her – he had been suffering from nightmares the whole week.

Kelly's voice boomed from the back seat, singing each word to the familiar _Don Williams_ song currently playing. Jethro smiled proudly meeting Jenny's gaze as she looked at him in surprise. Turning his eyes back to the road he felt her grip his hand and lace her fingers with his.

They had arrived just as Kelly started growing impatient with the early morning traffic, saving them all an unpleasant situation. Jethro helped Kelly out of the car and handed her over to Jenny, not wanting her to wander off like she occasionally did. Slinging the bright pink backpack over one shoulder, he ushered them across the street towards the large aquarium.

Before they knew it they were inside heading towards their first gallery of creatures. Kelly was perched high on her father's shoulders, gripping his hands tightly as he held onto her legs. Jenny was right next to them, wearing the same look of awe as Kelly.

It had been years since the last time she had seen the inside of the large aquarium, she couldn't even remember how old she had been. She felt Jethro bump her hand lightly, hooking his pinky around hers. She smiled to herself.

"Daddy look, a crocodile." Kelly squealed excitedly.

"Alligator," Jethro corrected gently.

"He look like crocodile." Kelly replied stubbornly from a top her father's shoulders.

"That's because their cousins." Jenny answered the young toddler, looking up into curious blue eyes, "They look the same but they are different in some ways."

Kelly simply nodded, turning her attention back to the reptile. Jethro caught Jenny's eye and thanked her quietly, he doubted he could have thought of an answer that quickly. They moved along with the small crowd, stopping at each tank so Kelly could see the various creatures being displayed.

They waited for most of the people to move along before moving closer to the large tank that held _Leopard sharks_. Jethro lifted Kelly off his shoulder and placed her in front of the large glass window, giving her a front row view of the peculiar animals. A large one swam passed the glass, causing Kelly to gasp and step backwards. Both adults reached for her to stop her from falling over their feet.

Jenny knelt next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, "Do you know why they call them _Leopard sharks_?"

Shaking her head silently, Kelly leaned against the older woman and listened as she spoke, "See those almost round spots that cover them?" after another nod Jenny continued, "They look like the same spots that cover a leopard, only the shark's is larger."

Jethro had knelt next to them as well, listening as Jenny told her story. She had a way of telling someone something and immediately capturing their attention – but he had found himself drawn to her mouth instead.

"You ready to see more animals, Kel?" Kelly nodded and quickly climbed onto her father's shoulders.

Jethro held his daughter steady with one hand and slipped the other around Jenny's waist, resting his hand on her hip. She laced her fingers with his again. It felt natural having her close – he wanted her close. He was relaxed in her company, not constantly wondering when she'd ask something that would hit too close to home. They had a silent agreement that too many questions shouldn't be asked, they had a good thing going and they wanted to keep it that way.

They quickly navigated their way through the Freshwater Gallery, finding nothing of real interest there. As they entered the amphibious gallery, Jenny started to notice that Jethro winced on occasion. She waited until he lifted Kelly off his shoulders and placed her on front of the glass before she leaned in closer to him.

"You okay?" She whispered, eyeing him closely, she doubted having Kelly rub against the stitches on the back of his head did anything for the pain, at least he had covered them with band aids.

"I'm fine Jen." Jethro growled softly, kissing her swiftly before turning his attention to the brightly coloured frog they were looking at.

Jenny narrowed her eyes at him critically, she knew he was lying – he always pulled the corner of his mouth a certain way, it was imperceptible but she had noticed it right away the first time. A habit she had picked up from spending so much time undercover.

They moved to the next enclosure where they kept the _Spotted salamander_ , Kelly stared at the lizard-like creature in awe. "Daddy up please, I no see very good." Jethro lifted her and placed her on his hip, watching the slimy creature move about.

She rested her head on his shoulder watching the salamander prowl around in his tank. She quickly lost interest once it disappeared. They moved along with the small group they had found themselves in since morning, slowly but surely reaching the end of their journey.

They reached the last glass enclosure, all of them trying to find what was hiding inside. Jethro spotted him first, having caught the slightest of movement. He pointed towards the mass of green leaves, showing Kelly where to look. He felt her tense immediately and regretted showing her where the _Emerald tree boa_ was hiding.

Kelly buried her head in the crook of his neck, refusing to look at the snake. Jenny gave him a worried look but he simply shook his head. He'd forgotten that she had a phobia, one she shared with her mother. He kindly pushed through the group and headed towards the exit.

"Is everything okay?" Jenny asked, rubbing Kelly's back.

"Yeah she's fine. She doesn't like snakes very much." Jethro supplied as he lowered Kelly to the ground. He was relieved when he found no tears.

"I don't like them either." Jenny said darkly and he knew there was a story behind the tone of her voice, one he thought he might actually find amusing.

Jenny scooped Kelly up in her arms, scrunching her nose at the little girl, "What do you say we go find something we can take home with us?"

Kelly nodded eagerly, already eyeing the gift shop. Jethro grumbled under his breath as he trudged behind them towards the gift shop. He hated gift shops, especially since everything they sold could be found somewhere else for half the price. He was too preoccupied with his silent ranting that he almost walked into Jenny.

She grinned up at him as he glared at her, "Stop brooding, it's not a good look for you." They were both acutely aware that Kelly was wandering up the small isle, they made sure to keep her insight.

"Thought that's what attracted you to me." Jethro mumbled in her ear.

"Mmmm," Jenny hummed, raising an eyebrow at him as he smirked at her. He was about to say something else when Kelly barrelled around the corner, two stuffed toys under her arms. Jethro looked at his daughter suspiciously, knowing she already had her heart set on both stuffed animals.

"Those the ones you decided on?" Jenny asked Kelly as she knelt down to her leave.

Kelly nodded, looking between the two animals she had chosen, "Is a turtle and a lizard," she pointed out matter of factly.

"Kel honey, you can only pick one." Jethro steeled himself for whatever would follow. He saw her lower lip quiver and her eyes fill with tears, and he was sure they were about to relive his worst memory of parenting. He was taken aback when Kelly turned and shuffled back to the shelf where she had found the stuffed animals.

"She can have both if she wants them." Jenny said quietly as she watched Kelly try and decide between which one to pick.

"I'm not paying that much for something she won't play with for that long." Jethro retorted sounding slightly agitated, meeting Jenny's emerald eyes as she narrowed them dangerously at him.

"Good thing I'm buying." It was impossible to miss the irritation in her voice; she was about to join Kelly when Jethro grabbed her arm softly.

"You'll just waste your money. She'll play with it for a day, maybe two days before she forgets about it and goes back to playing with her old bear." Jethro explained to her as calmly as possible, he was trying his best to avoid a fight over something as petty as a stuffed animal.

He was aware of the fact that he was worried that Kelly would throw away her ever present grey bear. It had been with her ever since the moment she was born; it was there when she was alone for a few days when he was on his way back from Somalia and they had just lost Shannon. Although he had bought her the fluffy grey bear before he shipped out, he was the one more attached to it. Somewhere in his subconscious he had classified it as one of the last things he could connect to Shannon.

Jethro swallowed heavily as the memory rushed back. She had cried when he had given it to her for safe keeping, promising that he'd be back before she even knew it. Shannon had held onto the bear for quite a while and at the time he had thought she was slowly starting to lose her mind. He breathed in trying to clear his head.

"Jethro?" Jenny's voice was full of concern as she said his name. He blinked a few times, trying to hide the fact that he was thinking about another redhead. The soft fingers stroking the rough skin of his palm calmed him down enough to get his emotions in check.

"I'm fine." He could see in her eyes that she didn't believe him, but she didn't push him. He shrugged nonchalantly and walked to where Kelly was trying to decide between the two stuffed toys.

Jenny watched Jethro closely as he helped Kelly decide between the two animals. She'd seen his eyes flicker as he remembered something, she wondered how long she'd be able to ignore the fact he was more troubled about Kelly's mother than he let on.

"The turtle it is then." Jethro rose to his feet with Kelly on his hip, giving Jenny an ' _I-told-you-so'_ look. She rolled her eyes at him as they headed towards the front desk to pay.

There was more than a little tension between the two adults as they sat in the car. Jenny stared out the window, trying to sort through her thoughts. She knew that it wasn't her place and much less her right to be upset about what happened in the gift shop, nor was is her place to actually say something. She had been dead set on buying the whole store if that's what Kelly wanted.

Since her father's death she had spent very little time with family. The last time she'd seen her cousins one of them had just had a baby, now there were two more and the others had gotten married and had started families of their own. It made her feel left out, questioning whether hunting down an aloof killer was really such a bright idea. She'd had a great career going for her before her father had been murdered.

Leaving a well paying job as a lawyer to become a federal agent was probably far from the dreams her father had had for her. Spending time with the little girl made her realise what she had sacrificed, somehow hoping that it compensated for what she had given up on. It was a grim thought, knowing that despite how well things were going between her and Jethro, that it wouldn't last for long. Sooner or later the secrecy between them would take its toll.

The sudden touch to her thigh startled her more than it should, she turned her attention back to the person beside her, his blue eyes boring into her. They had stopped again and she hadn't even realised they were in a parking lot. Jenny watched as Jethro struggled with himself to say what he wanted, looking over her shoulder she saw Kelly fast asleep in her car seat.

"Jen-"

"I shouldn't have reacted the way I had, I was wrong." Jenny looked at him apologetically.

Jethro opened his mouth to say something but Jenny stopped him, placing her hand over his mouth. She shook her head, pulling him closer by the collar of his shirt. Making sure they weren't being watched she kissed him slowly, hoping it would distract her enough from her thoughts.

Jethro groaned softly, knowing that he couldn't do much with his daughter in the back seat. He knew that ignoring their actions earlier could only spell danger, but it was the last thing he worried about with Jenny's lips against his.

"You gonna stay for lunch?" Jethro asked hoarsely.

"Do I have a choice?" Jenny asked in his ear, sending a slight shiver down his spine.

"No." He crashed his lips against hers again, turning her laugh into a soft moan.

The barest movement in the back seat caused them to jump apart. Kelly groaned softly as she unbuckled her seatbelt sliding out of her seat and wedging herself between the two front seats. Looking between the two adults she frowned at them, "What are we doing?"

"We were waiting for you to wake up." Jenny supplied easily, smiling down at the still drowsy toddler.

Kelly climbed over the centre console, finding her way onto Jenny's lap and making herself comfortable, snuggling into her as much as she could. Jenny ran her fingers through Kelly's curls, smoothing down the wild locks. The outraged look Jethro wore when Kelly climbed through the seats had disappeared. The unguarded and fond look he was directing their way made her heart kick unexpectedly.

Jethro scraped his throat softly, giving her half a smile, "You wanna carry her or should I?"

Jenny looked down at Kelly, who was close to falling asleep again, she hugged her closer and adjusted her so she rested her head on her shoulder. "I've got her."

Kelly was perched on Jenny's hip, wide awake and looking at all the people curiously; her one hand was fisted in Jenny's hair trying to grip her sweater. Jenny lifted her a little higher, holding her leg steady as she swung it back and forth. Jethro was right beside her, pushing the cart while mentally going over some sort of check list – she could hear him talking to himself.

Jenny walked right behind Jethro, holding Kelly tightly as they moved down the isle slowly, the pushing and bumping was slowly ticking her off. It was one of the many reasons she avoided supermarkets like the plague.

The racket further down the isle drew their attention. A young mother was standing red faced as her child threw what could only be described as a temper tantrum. Jenny watched with wide eyes as she tried to reign in the upset toddler, while being discreet as possible, but it seemed the child would have none of it.

Once mother and child disappeared, Jenny turned her attention back to Kelly, who was equally wide eyed. When she turned back to Jethro she could have sworn he looked almost sympathetic towards the woman. She raised her eyebrow at him but he shrugged and moved them along, clearly not ready to share _that_ experience.

"Milk," Jethro blurted out as they navigated the busy isle.

He steered them through the sudden mass of people and headed for the dairy section. He was half listening to his daughter's conversation with Jenny, listening as she regaled her with tales from her pre-school. He ruffled Kelly's hair as she grinned at him before continuing with her story.

Kelly asked to be placed on the floor, tired from being carried around. She slipped her small hand in Jenny's and stayed by her side as they walked. Jenny felt Jethro rest a hand on her lower back, his thumb running back and forth over the material of her sweater. Kelly had fallen quiet, opting for looking at all the people she saw.

"Do you always talk to yourself?" The amusement in Jenny's voice was hard to miss. She simply raised her eyebrow at the glare directed her way.

"Nah, I just like the sound of my voice." He said deadpan, watching as her eyebrows shot straight to her hairline. The usual smouldering emerald eyes darkened and he swallowed heavily, caught off guard by how much he liked the alluring look in her eyes.

Jethro felt her lean in closer to him, her arm slipping around his waist and her breath hot on his neck, "I hope you're always this confident." The goosebumps that followed were hard to suppress as she whispered in his ear. He heard her snicker quietly, digging his thumb in the soft skin of her back he heard her gasp and couldn't help the self-satisfied grin.

The loud squeaking of Kelly's _All Star_ sneakers on the linoleum floor drew them from their teasing conversation. "Daddy I get milk!" Kelly pulled her hand out of Jenny's grip and ran ahead of them, almost tripping over her own two feet.

"Wait, Kelly, I'll help you. Don't carry it on your own." Jethro called after her, extracting himself from Jenny to chase after Kelly.

Kelly hoisted herself high enough to reach the milk cartons, pulling one closer with her fingertips until she could grab it. Taking the carton with both hands she slid back down to the floor and ran back to the cart where her father was busy calling after her. In her haste to get back to them she kicked her shoe against the other and stumbled forwards.

Both adults watched as the milk carton slid out of her hands as she slowly started to lose her balance. She dropped the milk carton on the floor, causing it to split open, sending milk everywhere. Kelly regained her footing and stopped dead in her tracks, her large blue eyes staring at her father.

"Kelly Gibbs." Jethro barked, the anger evident in his voice. He walked right through the spilt milk, his heavy boots splashing the milk even more.

Kelly took a step backwards, her lower lip already quivering. She held her hands behind her back, watching as her father advanced on her. She flicked her gaze to Jenny, silently pleading with her to help her. She swallowed as her father steered her out of the milk puddle to stand off to the side.

Jethro knelt down in front of Kelly, trying his best to reign in his anger as much as possible, "Did I not tell you to wait?"

Kelly stared back at him, her eyes growing larger and tears streaming down her cheeks, she was moments away from sobbing.

"Kelly answer me." Jethro said firmly, causing her to step backwards again, gently hitting the fridge behind her.

"Ye-" She sobbed loudly with more tears following, "Yes, daddy."

"Then why didn't you listen?" All he received was a shrug, "Are you going to listen the next time I tell you something?"

Kelly only nodded her head, finding it hard to speak through her sobs. Jethro pulled her into his arms, hugging her to him tightly. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Jenny had found someone to help clean up the mess. She winked at him and smiled reassuringly.

Jethro sighed heavily, trying to calm Kelly down enough so she could breath a little more easily. He rubbed her back soothingly, "I love you Kelly. Sometimes when I talk you really have to listen, okay?"

Kelly nodded against his shoulder, avoiding looking at him. He nudged her slightly to look at him but she refused. He swept her up in his arms and carried her back to where Jenny was standing. He felt Kelly press her hands against his chest and lean away from him, "Daddy, I go down." she mumbled.

Kelly shuffled towards Jenny and leaned against her leg, hiding her face from her father. She tugged on Jenny's jeans gently, motioning for her to come closer. Jenny bent down, listening to what Kelly wanted, "Jenny, I stay with you please?"

Jenny looked up briefly to see what Jethro's reaction was. She could see the lines on his face crease even more as he frowned. There was the briefest flicker of hurt in his eyes but he looked away quick enough before he realised she had seen it. Sighing, she scooped the little girl up and cradled her against her shoulder. She placed her hand over Jethro's as they continued down the isle.

Jenny could feel Jethro's hand flex underneath hers as they headed towards the checkout. Kelly had given him a mute answer twice since he had scolded her. Jenny sensed that it was something new to him to be ignored or given the silent treatment by Kelly. She pried his hand loose from the handle and held it in hers. He looked down at her and smiled tightly.

Jenny winced slightly when Kelly accidentally pulled her hair. Kelly looked at her with wide eyes as she let go of her hair, her bloodshot eyes already filling with tears. Jenny hushed her softly, rubbing her back soothingly and wiping away her tears. She kissed her temple and smiled at her warmly.

"Jethro?"

Jethro's hand tightened on the handle, turning his knuckles white. He didn't know whether to ignore the voice or acknowledge it. He grit his teeth painfully tight and turned around slowly, noting out the corner of his eye that Jenny had turned around as well.

"Nana!" Kelly exclaimed excitedly.

Jenny placed Kelly on the floor, knowing that 'Nana' meant it was her grandmother, and she tried to stop herself from laughing at the panicked look in Jethro's eyes.

"Joann," Jethro said in greeting before falling silent again.

Joann narrowed her eyes at him, taking in the tenseness of his posture as he stood next to the red-headed woman. Flicking her eyes to her instead, she was surprised to find that she was far more relaxed than someone about to meet Jethro's _ex_ mother-in-law.

"You must be Jenny, Kelly's told me so much about you." Joann offered her hand to the young woman.

"Please to meet you." Jenny shook the older woman's hand, giving her a friendly smile.

"Jenny, this my nana. She very nice, nicer than daddy." Kelly burrowed further into Joann, keeping her eyes on her father. Eyeing him warily as he stared at her.

Jenny saw the pained expression on his face at Kelly's words. She frowned slightly, did her father look the same way when she had said hurtful things about or to him? Turning back to Joann she could see the confused look on her face at the little girl's sudden dislike of her father.

"There was an accident in the dairy isle." Jenny said in a loud whisper, realising that Jethro wasn't willing to say anything at the moment.

"Ah, I see." Joann said light heartedly and winked at the redhead. It was a very rare occurrence for Jethro to seriously scold Kelly, and when he did he tended to sound scarier than he actually wanted to be, especially to a three year old. "Kelly, that wasn't very nice. You have to say sorry."

Kelly glared at her grandmother slightly, looking just like her father did at the moment. She shook her head and turned to look away from her father, her arms folded stubbornly.

"Kelly..." Joann trailed of looking at the stubborn toddler with a raised eyebrow.

Kelly silently asked to be placed on the floor. She shuffled to where her father was standing next to the cart; she leaned against his leg. Clutching his jeans in her hand tightly, she tugged gently, making him look down. Her large blue eyes were already full of tears when he looked down at her.

"Sorry daddy." She mumbled, fighting her tears.

Jethro lifted her up in his arms and held her close to him, kissing her forehead. He rubbed his nose against hers, drawing a smile from her, "I know you're sorry, honey." He whispered to her, kissing her again, "And I still love you."

"Loves you too, daddy." Kelly kissed his cheek before hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

Jenny shot him a smile, and he subtly squeezed her hand.

Joann looked between the two of them, a strange smile etched on her face as she regarded the both of them. She raised a knowing eyebrow at Jethro, telling him she saw something that he clearly didn't – or didn't want to. Clearing her throat she turned her attention to the redhead, "Well Jenny it was lovely to meet you. I hope I see you more often, maybe when you're free we can have some coffee."

Jenny knew she must have looked surprised at the invite. She half expected Joann to hate her for being in Jethro and Kelly's lives. She nodded dumbly, managing a smile at the older woman, reaching out to shake her hand again.

They were left alone again after Joann had excused herself. Jethro sighed heavily, resting his hand on the small of Jenny's back once again. He met her questioning gaze but he simply shook his head. Knowing Kelly had fallen asleep, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. More relieved than she was that that had gone over more smoothly than he had expected.

* * *

It was way past her bedtime and both adults knew it, but neither could care enough to actually calm the toddler down and tuck her in. Jenny was curled up against Jethro's side, watching Kelly roll around on the carpet with Yoda as he tried to lick her.

Kelly flipped onto her stomach and hid her face in her arms as Yoda jumped around her, almost licking her right in the mouth. The puppy whined pitifully when he couldn't reach Kelly's face any more. He flopped down with his head on his paws, barking at the curly haired girl until she looked up. When Kelly lifted her head Yoda lunged forward and licked Kelly in the nose.

"Yoda!" Jethro barked disgustedly, "Kelly don't let him lick you."

"Okay." Kelly giggled as Yoda nudged her arms so he could lick her again.

Jethro relaxed again, turning his attention back to the _John Wayne_ movie playing in the background. His hand started to wander again, slipping under the hem of Jenny's sweater and stroking the soft skin of her hip. He felt the goosebumps on her skin and smirked arrogantly as she dug her nails into his thigh. He buried his nose in her hair and stilled his hand on her hip.

It had become extremely quiet, the only noise coming from the television. Kelly had fallen asleep with her arms still buried in her arms, hiding from Yoda. Yoda however had decided to flop down next to her on his back. Jethro sighed, somewhat relieved the two of them had settled down and fallen asleep.

"You still awake?" Jethro whispered in Jenny's ear, silently hoping that she was. He felt her nod against his shoulder, "You sure?"

Jenny sat up, stretching, looking at him with large green hazy eyes and mused her. He wanted to feel bad for disturbing her, but he just couldn't. He reached out and pulled her against his chest again, breathing her in, his eyes travelled over her. Slipping his fingers in her hair, he pressed his lips against hers not caring that they might be interrupted.

Jenny moaned softly, making his blood rush through his veins. He felt her pull away and tightened his hold on her.

"Jethro," Jenny said breathlessly, licking her lips, "what if Kelly wakes up?"

Jethro let out a slight chuckle and nodded in agreement, he pressed a lingering kiss to her lips and slid off the couch.

Jenny flopped down on the couch once Jethro had Kelly in one arm and Yoda in the other. She listened to his heavy footsteps fade as he disappeared up the stairs. She breathed deeply trying to calm herself down enough for rational thought to return. She wondered if she should leave before he came back down again.

A part of her told her to run before he came back down. Another part of her however, the curious part of her, told her to stay. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes, trying to ease the butterfly feeling in her stomach. She listened to his footsteps moving around above her, with each step she heard him coming closer.

Jenny heard the staircase creak as Jethro descended down them. She stretched lazily, hearing him shuffle around in the foyer. It was impossible to ignore his heavy boots on the wooden floor. The footsteps suddenly stopped, and she wondered what he was doing. She frowned, not wanting to open her eyes, she was far too relaxed to actually move. Feeling the edge of the couch dip she opened her eyes.

Jethro was towering over her, his face almost hid by the shadow the dim light cast over him. A sensuous grin curled her lips as she stared back at him, crooking a finger at him and beckoning him towards her. She could just make out the smirk on his face as he crawled over her, settling over her comfortably.

Jethro slid one hand underneath her while the other fisted in her hair, "You still owe me that soak in the tub." He growled at her, pressing a kiss to her pulse point and feeling it skitter against his lips. She clutched his sides and breathed in shakily.

"I said when you're recovered." She husked in his ear, nipping his earlobe gently.

Jethro rolled his eyes at her, "I'm recovered." Jenny laughed low in her throat, drawing a growl from him.

"You still have stitches, and a bet you're still in pain." She pointed out the obvious, and raised her eyebrows at him when he rolled his eyes at her.

Jethro settled between her thighs even more. He drew her closer to him, his lips just brushing hers, "I've been through worse."

They fell silent for a moment, a sense of seriousness engulfing them. Jenny sensed that he was talking about something far more delicate than a few bumps and bruises. She wormed one arm between them, cupping his cheek. She ran her thumb over his lower lip, parting his lips slightly, his breath was hot against her skin.

Jethro pressed his lips against hers tentatively, kissing her slowly. He nipped her lower lip softly, coaxing her to open her mouth, her lips parted slightly and he deepened the kiss eagerly. Their tongues touched and his mind went blank, focusing solely on how she tasted and felt against him.

Jenny moaned softly as Jethro pulled her hair slightly, angling her head so he could deepen their kiss even more. She felt her lungs start to burn from the lack of oxygen, but it was the last thing she was worried about. The need to breath became too much and she reluctantly pulled away.

Jethro dropped his head to her neck, placing soft kisses across her jugular, she gasped slightly when he pinched the tender skin with his teeth before laving the spot with his tongue. Her stomach clenched in anticipation as he trailed his lips lower. Rough fingers slid under her thin sweater, trailing over the sensitive skin of her stomach.

Jethro eased himself lower pushing the thin sweater Jenny wore higher, exposing her near perfect skin. He trailed his mouth down her neck to her clavicle, placing wet kiss there. He heard her groan softly and smirked against her skin. He felt her nails dig into his sides as he pulled away and sat up slightly. He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked when she rolled her eyes at him.

He trailed his fingers over her stomach, watching her muscles clench and her skin break out in goosebumps. His exploration stopped when he felt the faint ridge of a scar near her ribs. Leaning down he placed a soft kiss there. Looking up he saw her draw her bottom lip between her teeth and close her eyes.

Jenny's hands let go of his sides and trailed over his shirt covered chest, dipping dangerously into his jeans and pulling out his shirt tails. Jenny watched as Jethro's eyes darkened to stormy blue when she brushed her hand intimately against him. She could feel her breathing pick up as he stared down at her with hunger in his eyes. It only encouraged her too almost rip his shirt open, but she quickly worked each button from it's hole.

Jenny pushed Jethro's shirt down his arms, discarding the material on the floor. She faltered when she saw the bruising that still colour his skin over his sternum. She pulled away from the kiss he was about to deliver. It was starting to piss her off that she was so concerned about him, she knew he was a big guy and that he could look after himself just fine, but the bruising on his chest bothered her.

"Jethro, you should see the doctor about this, or Ducky at least."

There was the briefest flicker of irritation on his face. Sitting up, Jethro pulled Jenny up as well; resting against the back of the couch and pulling her on his lap so she straddled his thighs. He ran his gaze over her, reaching out to touch her again. He lightly ran his hands up her sides, resting them on her ribs and gently digging his fingers into the soft skin.

"Why'd you have to bring Duck into this, Jen?" Jethro whined petulantly, dropping his head onto her shoulder.

"This is serious Jethro." Jenny scolded him playfully, placing her hands on his and stopping him from distracting her further.

"Ya know what's serious Jen?" He didn't wait for her to respond before he pulled her even closer, tangling his fingers in her hair, "That I kiss you."

Jethro crashed his lips against hers and she welcomed him eagerly.

"You're so corny." Jenny laughed against his lips, running her hands through his dark cropped hair, the silver streaks in his hair glistening in the light.

"Got the result I wanted." Jethro breathed against her neck.

Jenny rolled her eyes and kissed him again. She gripped his shoulders tightly as he swirled his tongue around hers, causing her to moan at the feeling. She rocked her hips slightly when he shifted around underneath her, creating some friction.

Jenny trailed her hands over his chest, feeling the smattering of chest hair on her palms. She felt his abdomen muscles tighten and ripple as she trailed her fingers lower. The feeling of the scar next to his navel reminded her of the first time she had almost kissed him. She trailed her hands down further to his belt buckle.

Jethro dropped his head on the back of the couch, sighing as he felt her undo his belt. He knew she could feel what she was doing to him, and he silently cursed himself for it. Her fingers ran over his boxers as she eased open his zip.

Jethro ran his hands under her sweater, cupping her breasts in his hands, squeezing slightly. Drawing a moan from her as he did it again. Smirking, he inched her sweater higher. She lifted her arms over her head, helping him pull the sweater over her head.

Jethro leaned back, drinking her in as she sat on his lap. He stared at Jenny as she sat topless in front of him.

Jenny shifted uncomfortably, reaching for her sweater in his hand, wanting to cover up again. He moved the sweater away from her, dropping it next to his shirt. He ran his fingers over her ribs, not once taking his eyes of her breasts encased in black lace.

Jethro lowered his head, kissing her breasts. Jenny threw her head back, mewling softly as he continued eagerly. She dug her nails into his shoulders as he kneaded her breasts and kissed them again.

Jenny dropped her hands to Jethro's jeans again, hooking her fingers in his belt loops and pulling his jeans down his thighs. She dipped her fingers inside his boxers and heard his sharp intake of breath. He grabbed her wrists, stopping her.

Jethro looked up into dilated green eyes, he knew that what happened next would complicate things beyond measure. It was the furthest he'd ever gone with any woman since his late wife. He leaned back even more, once again staring at Jenny.

The image in front of him blurred slightly.

The hair colour stayed the same, but the large expressive emerald eyes changed to crystal blue pools. He struggled to take a breath, almost as if it hurt. Clenching his jaw tightly, he dropped Jenny's wrists.

"Jenny, I can't," He shifted underneath her, holding her at arms length, "I can't do this, not yet."

Jenny felt the awkwardness settle over them as they moved away from each other. Crossing her arms over her chest, feeling incredibly exposed in front of Jethro, she grabbed her sweater off the floor and pulled it over her head. She avoided looking at him, instead staring at the TV screen that was the only source of noise.

Jethro sat with his head in his hands, his nails digging into his scalp as he stared at his feet. Jenny shifted again, feeling like a teenager who had been caught. She wanted to shout at him for turning her into a moaning mess and then pushing her away. However she'd seen the conflict in his eyes, as if he hadn't recognised her for a moment.

"Jethro-"

"Jen-"

They cut each other off, creating even more awkwardness. Jethro scrubbed a hand over his face; he buttoned his jeans and pulled on his shirt. He clenched his jaws, not sure of what to say to her about why he stopped.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's just..." He trailed off halfway, fighting with himself whether he should tell her about Shannon or shut her out and chase her away like he did with the rest of the women who had managed to get close to him.

"You have things you need to deal with." She supplied for him, already pulling her shoes on. There was no accusation in her voice, or anger over what had happened. The rational part of her brain, the part that had told her to run before this even started, had kicked in once again. There were things of her own she had to work through first.

Jethro walked with her to the door, before she could open the door he stopped her, "I really like you."

Jenny smiled at him, placing her hand on his cheek, "I never said you didn't." Stepping closer she ran a finger over the buttons on his shirt.

"Remember when I said we have to take things slow? This was what I wanted to avoid."

Jethro grit his teeth again, knowing she was right. The awkwardness between them was unsettling.

"Guess slow works too." He looked up at her, a faint blush colouring his cheeks.

Jenny laughed and kissed his cheek.

Jethro accompanied her to her car and waited until her car disappeared out of sight. He fisted his hands in his hair and pulled painfully hard. If he hadn't had stitches on the back of his head he most probably would have hit himself. Turning back to the front door he looked at the house for a while. Memories of Shannon running through his mind. He knew Jenny was right, there were things in his past he had to deal with before he could move on. He just hoped he could do it before it was too late.

Yoda appeared in the doorway, barking at him. Jethro rolled his eyes and called the puppy to him, he scooped him up under his arm and scratched his ears. He sighed into the night air. Yoda looked up at him tilting his head to the side.

"Think we chased her away?" He felt ridiculous talking to the puppy.

Yoda barked and whined at him again.

"Nah, I don't think so either."

* * *

 _Thank you for reading. Please tell me what you think :)_


	10. An astronaut named Jack

_**Disclaimer:** _I don't own anything you recognize.__

 ** _A/N_** **:** _I apologize for_ _the lack of an update, but this chapter was for some reason tough to write. It feels to me like a filler chapter of some sorts, I'll let you be the judge. Thank you for all your kind reviews, they always make me smile. To the new followers and favo_ _u_ _rites, thank you._ _Very big thanks to_ _ **Loves Jack**_ _for the restroom idea, I had fun writing it and I hope you enjoy it too. Spelling and grammer is on me, mistakes slip through sometimes. If there's something that_ _ **really**_ _should be fixed, let me know._

 ** _Warning_** **:** _I borrowed_ _dialogue_ _rather shamelessly from the episode 'Heartland', it's one of my favourites._ _There's a spoiler for a season 14 episode (can't remember which one) but nothing revealing only a little info on Gibbs._ _I also used some dialogue from a very famous movie, if you can spot it I'll be very impressed, it's not the exact dialogue but if you know the film you'll spot it._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

The warm days of summer had slowly turned colder as September drew near. The whole city was in various shades of orange, red and brown; creating an almost picturesque environment. The view from the Navy Yard was breathtaking in the late afternoon sun. A strong gust of wind swept through the trees, shaking the leaves off the branches.

Jenny took a long drink from her coffee cup, welcoming the warmth that spread through her. She was aware of someone right behind her, watching her instead. A smiled curled her lips, she didn't have to turn around to know it was him. It didn't take long before he invaded her personal space.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She wasn't expecting an answer from him and he didn't disappoint her, instead he placed a hand on her hip and drank from his own cup.

Things between them had been slightly tense after what had happened on Jethro's couch. They had tried to avoid each other as much as possible until they had bumped into each other in the elevator. They had agreed to actually try and take it slow, for once before they did something they might actually regret later on. They had patched things up and were back to the way they were.

Jenny peaked over Jethro's shoulder to see where every one was. It was rare for him to touch her or show any kind of affection towards her in front of his team, she knew he wasn't ashamed or embarrassed just extremely private. Pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek, she smiled up at him.

"Where is everyone?" The bullpen was almost deserted, only a few agents were still hanging around finishing up paperwork.

Jethro twisted around looking over the squad room, he pointed at nothing in particular, "Kelly's in the head gettin' dressed. Other's are hidin' in Abby's lab since Kelly chased them away."

Jenny laughed softly, already seeing the little curly haired girl silently sending them away the same way her father could, "She takes her dancing seriously."

Jethro smiled at her, trying to appear as excited as the rest of them. Kelly's pre-school had organised a concert with all the children performing different numbers, and his daughter was more than excited about the whole ordeal, something that surprised him. However, there was a sense of nostalgia surrounding him, and he suspected Joann as well.

Shannon had been on his mind a lot lately, ever since Kelly had come home and couldn't stop talking about her concert. She would have been in the front row, doing everything along with Kelly. He felt her absence more, now that something was happening that he wanted to share with her. It was the same feeling he had when Kelly had started walking and had said her first word.

Jethro blinked a few times, trying to push his thoughts to the back of his mind. Jenny shifted next to him, pulling her jacket a little tighter around herself. He raised his eyebrows at her almost sceptically, it was cold but not that cold.

"Don't look a me like that, I spent a year in the desert." Jenny snapped at him, pursing her lips and raising her own eyebrows at him.

Jethro leaned away from her slightly, trying to piece the puzzle together. He assumed that she had been with Ziva in Israel, it would explain why the Mossad Officer had come with her. He stored the little piece of information for later, focusing instead on her for the moment. They very rarely talked about their past, something the both of them preferred, but now he wondered what she had done before becoming an investigator.

Wrapping an arm around her waist he tugged her into his side. She was looking up at him her eyes dark and smouldering, "This could get dangerous." she purred at him.

Jethro laughed, really laughed, a low rumbling sound in his chest. Jenny couldn't help but laugh with him. She liked the sound of his laugh, it reminded her that despite his rough and hard exterior he was human like the rest of them. Resting her head on his shoulder she turned her attention back to the outside world, watching the sun slowly start to set.

The raised voices coming from across the squad room drew their attention and made them pull apart. Kelly was running towards them with Joann trailing behind her, looking more agitated than usual. Kelly stopped right in front of them, her hair as wild as usual and her large blue eyes shining with excitement and mischief.

"Look, daddy, I is a fairy." Kelly twirled around.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen her all dressed up and full of glitter. He had picked her up the past week, fast asleep with a crumpled tutu and smeared with glitter. He'd never encountered something as infuriating and clingy as glitter.

Jethro handed his cup over to Jenny and swooped Kelly up off the floor and threw her up in the air, smiling as she squealed. Kelly laughed a real belly laugh after being thrown up in the air again. She hugged her father tightly, almost choking him as he held her. Giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek she held out her arms to Jenny.

Jenny took Kelly easily and settled her on her hip, handing the cups back to him so he could throw them away. Kelly was quiet for a while, looking Jenny over, she placed her small chubby hand on her cheek and smiled at her brightly, "You look pretty, Jenny."

"Why thank you, but not as pretty as you fairest fairy." Jenny pressed a kiss to Kelly's wild curls, smiling at the blush that shot across her nose. Kelly really did look pretty, the blue of her costume brought out her large blue orbs more than usual, making her look even more innocent.

"Come on Kelly we have to leave, or we'll be late." Joann smiled as Kelly regretfully said goodbye to Jenny. She was silently thankful that, for once, Jethro had found someone Kelly truly liked; and someone who he seemed to be really fond of.

"Jenny, I wave at you, okay?" Kelly looked at her seriously, not willing to take no for an answer.

"I'll be sure to wave back." Jenny hugged her and placed her back on the floor.

"Hey, what about me?" Jethro growled at Kelly playfully. Kelly skipped over to him, jumping up and down in front of him, the excitement becoming too much for her to bare.

Jethro knelt down, placing his hands on her shoulders. Kelly stopped bouncing around, and looked at him with big eyes and a silly grin on her face, "I wave at you too, okay?"

Jethro grinned at Kelly, pulling her to his chest and holding her close for a moment, savouring the fact that she was there with him. He closed his eyes, suddenly over come with a wave of emotion. He felt bad for being with Jenny and wishing his wife was still alive. Kissing Kelly on the forehead, he tapped her on the bum lightly sending her on her way with her grandmother.

A squeeze to his shoulder made him bury his feelings again, not feeling like answering questions. Looking up he was met with something rather unexpected. Her eyes were warm and comforting, instead of confused and questioning. Standing back up he winced slightly as his knee popped.

"You're getting old Marine." Jenny teased lightly, grinning even more at the glare he shot at her. She swallowed when he stepped closer to her, invading her personal space like only he could.

Leaning into her more, he fleetingly brushed his lips over hers, "I'll show you old, Jen."

Jethro watched as Jenny's eyes slid shut, her lips already parted in anticipation for what would come next. The loud ding of the elevator made him pull away and he heard Jenny sigh, almost irately, at being interrupted. He smirked at her arrogantly, taking her hand in his he pulled her towards the bullpen, where his team was already gathering around as they piled out of the metal box.

Tony was busy fixing his hair trying to look his best when his boss walked past him hand in hand with the redhead. Looking at himself in the black screen monitor, he grinned impishly. He'd known for a while that things between his boss and Jenny were more than just 'co-workers'. He'd rather wittingly coaxed Kelly into spilling the beans on Gibbs and Jenny one afternoon while she was hanging around the office. Ziva, however, had argued that he didn't have to ask much because the toddler seemed to be extremely attached to Jenny, and couldn't stop talking about her.

Meeting a pair of dark brown eyes he smiled charmingly. The last thing that bothered him was her eye roll, and irritated look that there was in fact something between their two superiors. Popping a piece of gum in his mouth he turned off his desk lamp and walked to where Ziva stood near the entrance of the bullpen.

Ziva looked him over, noting that he really did look good in his designer suit, but she chose to keep that to herself, not wanting his ego to get any bigger. Instead she chose to tease him, "You are trying to impress someone, yes?"

"Yeah, my date." Tony grinned, smoothing his hair back and tugging on his collar gently.

Ziva rolled her eyes, "It is a concert with children, and you brought a date?" she looked at him indignantly.

"Yeah she's performing tonight as well."

Ziva's eyes widened, "You're dating Kelly's teacher?"

Tony bit his lip trying hard not to laugh at the look on her face, she seemed seriously disgusted about the idea. He couldn't help it and laughed at her, the glare in return was well worth it.

"I'm just joking with ya, Ziva. I'm only going to see Kelly perform." He could see her shoulders relax and wondered why that was.

"So you were, jerking my train, yes?"

"I'm pretty sure it's chain, but yeah I was." Tony smiled at her and turned his attention to the rest of the people in the bullpen.

Ziva watched him for a while, noting the relaxed way he seemed to carry himself. They had spent increasingly more time together over the last month. He had invited her to watch movies, telling her she needed to be more educated in the American culture. They both knew it was simply a ploy to share light and easy conversation.

An elevator dinged, signalling the arrival of one last person.

Ducky hurried around the corner, "Sorry I am late, but mother was having a particularly bad day." he wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and placed his glasses back on his nose.

"Duck, if you can't come it's fine." Jethro reassured him as he stood and pulled on his coat.

"No, I would not miss this performance for the world." Ducky smiled and winked at Jenny. He had noticed rather early on that there was something going on between her and Jethro. His suspicions were only confirmed when she had confided in him that they were in fact together. He was happy for the both of them, after all he had seen the women Jethro had been with, and he found that Jenny fit the mould perfectly. The only thing bothering him was whether or not Jenny knew about Shannon.

Jenny hovered at the back of the group with Jethro, watching with amusement as the excited atmosphere quickly dissipated into annoyance. They all tried squeezing into the elevator, bumping into one another. Jethro gripped her elbow tightly as she tried to find a spot on the elevator for the both of them. He shook his head at her and pulled her back gently.

"Hey, Boss, you coming?" Tony shouted from the back.

"Nah, you go ahead think we'll take the stairs." The elevator doors started sliding shut.

Tony raised an eyebrow, looking between the two team leaders curiously. He took in their close proximity and a goof grin spread over his face. He could see Gibbs glare at him just as the doors closed, but that was the last thing he was worried about.

Jenny entwined her fingers with Jethro's, squeezing his fingers gently as they waited fro the elevator to come back up. She inhaled deeply, he was smelling particularly good tonight, something else accompanying the usual smell of sawdust and coffee.

The elevator doors opened again, revealing an empty box. Jethro tugged her inside with him, slamming the button for the garage. His hand was on her lower back again, but was sliding dangerously lower.

"Jethro," She growled his name as a warning, the question that followed wasn't, "why didn't we take the elevator with the rest?"

He didn't answer, he simply cupped the back of her head in his palm and brought her mouth closer, his other hand sliding down indecently. Jenny groaned softly, it had been a while since he had kissed her like this.

Panting slightly, Jenny tried to stop the world from spinning, "What brought this on?"

It was the first time she had ever seen Jethro Gibbs look guilty, he grinned at her crookedly and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. She narrowed her eyes at him, following him to his car. Once they were inside he casually turned to her, "Joann invited us for dinner after Kelly's performance. I said yes."

Jenny felt her heart stop, she had only met the woman a couple of times in her entire life, and now she had to have dinner with her. She had made it perfectly clear to Jethro that she felt extremely awkward about the fact that Joann was his ex mother-in-law, she felt out of place as if she was intruding on something.

"It's going to take more than one kiss to make up for it." Jenny snapped at him lightly, she was going to have to face Joann sooner or later.

"I can live with that." Jethro looked at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

* * *

The small hall was filled with people, making it nearly impossible to navigate the small pathways between all the seats. Tony cursed under his breath as he stumbled when his foot got tangled in the strap of a handbag, he apologised to the elderly woman who glared at him. Soldiering on, he made a mental note to get back at whoever had volunteered him to get refreshments. Finding his seat, he flopped down and distributed the various treats.

Tony made sure that his displeasure of being sent showed clearly on his face, he shoved Kate's water bottle at her, glaring at her for no reason. Something he seriously regretted when she drove her elbow straight into his stomach, knocking the breath out of him.

"Hey!" He whined, giving her a wounded look.

"Don't be a pain, you volunteered to go." Kate bit back at him, glaring at his childlike behaviour.

"No I didn't, I asked who wanted to go." Tony growled at her, clutching his stomach where she had elbowed him.

"Actually, Tony, that is volunteering." McGee retorted from where he sat between Kate and Abby, a cheeky smile plastered on his face.

"Shut it McTwo-faced." Tony snapped irately from his seat, unimpressed that everyone had decided to turn against him.

"If you lot don't shut it, I'll throw ya out myself." Jethro growled from his seat, unimpressed with his teams sudden chattiness. He glared at DiNozzo as the agent still grumbled to himself. Satisfied that Tony would keep his mouth shut for the time being he turned his attention back to the small stage.

Abby shifted excitedly next to him, he watched as she pulled various cameras out of her black leather handbag and propped them all in Tim's hands. Jethro smiled at her when she caught him looking at her, she smiled back at him and continued to produce film for all the cameras.

Turning his attention to the woman next to him, Jethro leaned closer to her, fascinated by the way her hair seemed to glow in the light. He listened to the light conversation that was going on between his lover and his ex mother-in-law. He didn't know whether he should be scared that they seemed to click, or thankful that they did.

Joann seemed to like Jenny more than the other women he had introduced to her. He often wondered if he did it in order for her to chase them away. Diane had been the old woman's doing, she had introduced them a year after Shannon's death, and it had been a disaster form the beginning. Kelly had refused to like her even though she had only been a year old. Diane had accepted the fact that he still mourned his wife's death, but she didn't understand why he couldn't just move on after meeting her.

Stephanie had been a little more understanding and she was considerably younger than him. At first he had thought she might stick around a little longer than just four months, but he soon realised she didn't really like the fact that he had a child and Kelly didn't like her either, and neither did Joann. After an impressive two and a half months she had decided to leave.

Jenny's hand slipped into his as she talked to Joann, he ran his roughened thumb over her knuckles, feeling the softness of her skin. He wondered when things between them would change. He'd noticed on more than one occasion that she wanted to ask him something, but she stopped herself before she could. He wanted to know why she didn't ask questions, why she could so easily accept him and the things he hid from her.

That wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was the fact that he always felt the need to touch her, to hold her. After what happened a few months ago he had spent considerable time in his basement, arguing with himself over the choices he made that concerned the enticing redhead. Feelings had popped up which he had rather quickly dismissed as a lack of sleep and too much caffeine late at night.

The conversation between the two women slowly started fading once Ducky returned from where ever it was he had disappeared to. Jenny smiled secretively as Joann's face lit up when Ducky took his seat next to her again. Shivering, Jenny moved a little closer to Jethro, soaking up his body heat. She surprised herself with how needy she could get once he was in the vicinity.

Tim McGee swallowed heavily as he gathered the courage to question Abby. He waited patiently for her to fish all the extra film rolls out of her leather handbag and deposit them on his lap as well. Looking down at the three cameras he frowned and looked at the Goth again.

"Abby..." Tim spoke cautiously, "what's with all the cameras?" Out of the corner of his eyes he could see that even Gibbs was curious about all the cameras.

Abby momentarily stopped fishing through her handbag to look at him, her olive green eyes narrowed, "Timmy," she sounded almost offended that he'd asked her such an obvious question, "I don't want to miss one single moment of Kelly performing."

Tim looked at her with a furrowed brow. Looking down at all the cameras he tried to piece what she had just said together. He could see that Abby was almost glaring at him for not seeing where she was coming from.

"Why didn't you just buy three film rolls?" Tim finally asked, too tired to figure out what exactly was going on in Abby's mind.

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to replace the film in a camera?" Abby snapped at him, clearly irritated with his sudden need to ask so many questions.

Tim stared at her blankly for a moment, somewhere between deciding to drop the subject all together or to actually answer her. Knowing he shouldn't ask, he did in anyway, "What if the roll gets stuck when you want to take it out to be developed?"

The young man's cheeks paled considerably as Abby turned on him. If he hadn't known her better he would have sworn she looked hurt by his question; her eyes flashed with annoyance and he could see her curling her hand into a tight fist. Gritting his teeth he waited for the blow to fall somewhere on his body. Abby didn't disappoint him when she punched him forcefully on his thigh.

"Don't jinx me, Timmy. It's easier to have three cameras than having to replace the films." The tone of voice she used left no room for an argument.

The hall lights dimmed, indicating that the show was about to start.

There were various children scattered across the small stage, each more concerned about finding their parents in the large crowd than actually doing what their teachers were enthusiastically doing along with them. Some of the children were simply staring at their audience, frightened that so many people were staring back at them.

Jethro shifted restlessly in his plastic chair, he could feel the pins and needles start in his toes from sitting with crossed legs for too long. He heard the woman behind him huff in annoyance as he shifted around once again. Gritting his teeth, he turned to give her a piece of his mind, when a set of nails dug into his thigh. He met Jenny's green gaze and settled back in his seat.

The half an hour performance was starting to feel like a life time and he was starting to lose his patience with every woman cooing around him. The group of children on the stage started descending down the steps as a group of girls filtered onto the stage, all of them wearing blue tutu-like dresses.

Kelly twirled across the stage, taking her place right in front. She scanned the large group of people, looking for her father and Jenny. The smile on her face was slowly fading when she couldn't find them, just before she could give up on looking for them, Tony jumped up shouting her name. She easily spotted her father and Jenny, she waved wildly, her smile returning.

Both Jethro and Jenny waved at her, followed by the whole team. Abby jumped up, her three cameras at the ready. She pulled McGee along with her as she moved into the isle in order to get closer to the stage. Jethro watched with pride as Kelly twirled around the stage, her smile never faltering. He couldn't help the smile that curled his lips.

Jethro's smile disappeared when he noticed the group of boys joining the girls on stage. One of the boys broke away from his group to join Kelly. He scowled at the kid as he danced alongside Kelly.

"That's Kyle." He heard Joann whisper to Jenny as the boy took his daughter's hand and danced with her across the stage.

Upon hearing the boy's name he immediately disliked him.

The lights in the hall were turned back on and the kids disappeared off the stage. Abby was bouncing down the isle, dragging McGee after her, she smiled at Gibbs excitedly waving her cameras in the air. She let go of McGee's hand and rushed to where Gibbs was making his own way into the isle.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs! Kelly was so cute, and that little boy with her too. He looked so shy at first." Abby rambled on as she walked alongside Gibbs.

Jethro smiled at her tightly. He knew deep down that he was being ridiculous for disliking the kid because of his name, but he couldn't help himself.

The corridors bustled with activity as Jethro tried to navigate his way to Kelly's classroom, constantly trying to avoid either one of the parents or the over excited toddlers running between classrooms. A small boy whirled past him, it wasn't long before the young boy's mother was rushing after him, her patience clearly running out.

Jethro scanned the corridor, trying to locate the green door that indicated Kelly's classroom. He now knew why the doors were colour coded, they were easier to locate in the never ending hall of doors. He felt almost disoriented in the noisy building, it was hard to concentrate with so many people talking at once and children shouting around him. Squaring his shoulders he pushed through the crowd that seemed to have collected in front of one specific class.

There was a trail of blue glitter leading to Kelly's class, and he cringed at the thought of his toddler jumping all over him covered in tiny blue flecks of foil. Jethro knocked on the door out of habit before stepping into view. Kelly was seated in the far corner of the classroom, playing alongside her friends.

Jethro bravely ventured into the classroom, careful to avoid the toys that were scattered across the carpeted floor. He was about to call Kelly but the little girl seated next to her pointed straight at him and whispered in her ear. He couldn't help but smile when her face lit up and she barrelled towards him, almost tripping over her own feet in her haste. He swooped her up off the floor and hugged her close to him, kissing her forehead.

"Daddy, did you sees me? I waved."

"Yup, we saw you." Jethro grinned at her and kissed her cheek when she blushed, "Go grab your bag and shoes, everyone's waitin' for us."

Jethro looked around the classroom curiously. He felt someone bump into him as he glanced around the room, stepping out of the way he simply growled at the mumbled apology shot his way. Jethro glared at the man in front of him.

"Maddie!" The person yelled at the blond haired girl affectionately.

Jethro narrowed his eyes at the man suspiciously. Something about the blond tennis ball haircut seemed familiar. He saw Kelly wait for Maddie to collect her own backpack before rushing back to him, her wild curls starting to slip out of their tiny ponytail. He knelt so he could help Kelly pull on her sneakers.

"Hello, Mister Kelly's daddy." Jethro looked up to see who the small voice belonged to. He heard Kelly giggle from where she was sitting on the floor staring up at everyone else. He met a pair of curious brown eyes as he looked up at Maddie. He'd seen the little girl once or twice from the times he could pick Kelly up from school.

"Maddie, don't bother other people. Sorry about that." The man from earlier scolded the girl lightly, reaching out and picking her up.

"Yeah, no problem." Jethro said distractedly as he settled Kelly on his hip and swung her backpack over his shoulder.

"Gunny?" Jethro's head snapped up at the nickname. He stared at the blond man, trying to piece together during which point of his military career he'd known the slightly younger man.

It took him a while to realise that they had been stationed together in Somalia and that the young man was in fact the kid who had been assigned to him almost at the end of his tour. Seeing him took him back to a different time, a period where pain had been ever present in his life for a while. Jethro's reaction was a little slower than usual as he tried to bury the memories that resurfaced.

"Daniel, it's good to see you." Shaking his hand he stepped back, looking between Daniel and Maddie.

"This must be that little girl in the picture you always carried with you." Daniel looked at Kelly, smiling at her and waving.

Jethro nodded proudly, looking at Kelly as she shied away from the attention. Resting his hand on her back he looked at Daniel, curiosity eating away at him. The last he could remember Daniel hadn't mentioned anything about expecting a child of his own. All he could remember was the jokes they had made about the hotheaded kid with all his girlfriends and that he'd get one of them knocked up.

Daniel cleared his throat and a blush flashed across his cheeks, he looked at Maddie and hugged her a little closer. "Remember that lady I wanted to see after we got back from Somalia?"

Jethro nodded, a smile already playing on his lips.

"Turns out our pre-deployment fling turned into something more." Daniel looked at Maddie as she busied herself with the toys still clutched in her hands.

"She changed your life for the better, Dan." Jethro said after a short while of silence. He looked Kelly over, scrunching his nose at her as she looked at him, her large blue eyes almost understanding.

Both men were silent as they left the busy classroom and headed towards the exit of the building. The car park was still full as they stepped into the cold night air. Daniel shifted uncomfortably, something clearly bothering him. He looked at the older Marine with his daughter wrapped in his coat.

"You know, Gunny. When I heard your wife passed away, I never understood the pain you had to go through." Daniel stopped talking, hugging his little girl closer, "I get it now, and I don't think I'd be able to find someone I love as much as I love my wife."

Jethro simply stared at him. He couldn't answer him, whatever he wanted to say got stuck in his throat. It was hard to swallow the lump in his throat. Seeing Daniel and hearing him mention Shannon made him deal with emotions he had buried the day he said goodbye to her. Scanning the lot his eyes met a pair of emerald green orbs, he smiled at her briefly before turning back to the man in front of him.

"You just have to hope it finds you." Jethro said almost inaudibly.

Kelly rested her head on her father's shoulder as they crossed the parking lot, she coughed and rubbed her eyes. Burying her head against his neck, she exhaled softly. It wasn't long before her hand found the buttons on his shirt and she played with them.

Jethro frowned, wondering if Kelly was just tired or if she was on the verge of catching a cold like she usual did when the seasons started to change. He pulled his coat a little tighter around them and quickened his pace. He prayed that she wouldn't be as sick as the previous winter.

Kelly reluctantly let go of her father as he lowered her into her car seat. Small chubby hands went straight to the small ponytail on top of her head, she pulled the hair tie out of her hair, tossing it somewhere on the floor. Kelly wrinkled her nose cutely, irritated with the fact that she had to tie her hair. Looking up she saw Jenny look at her, she smiled almost shyly at being caught manhandling the hair tie.

Jethro clipped the car seat's safety belt in place and kissed Kelly on the forehead. He hurried to the driver's side and slid into his seat. It wasn't long before they were caught in the sudden rush of cars leaving the school parking lot. Jethro eased back in his seat and listened to the muted sound of the radio as it filled the silent car.

Kelly wasn't her usual babbling self and he suspected the excitement of earlier was starting to crash, if not the excitement of the whole week. Jenny was unusually quiet as well, she wasn't an overly talkative person, but he knew something was bothering her. For the first time in a very long time the silence was making him uncomfortable.

Moving his hand from where it was resting on the center console, he placed it on her thigh and applied brief pressure. He smirked at her lazily as she looked at him, clearly somewhere else as she stared out her window. He felt her soft hand slip over his and grip it gently, he grinned at her as she glared at him for staring at her. When he didn't stop his persistent staring she shrugged her shoulders, the golden rings around her eyes indicating that she was becoming annoyed.

"What is it, Jethro?" Jenny whispered, mindful of the sleepy toddler in the back seat.

"You're quiet." Came his reply, that silly grin still curling the corners of his mouth.

Jenny raised an eyebrow at him in amusement, she found it almost strange that he wanted her to talk since he was so tight-lipped. Shaking her head at him, she pursed her lips a little and turned back to staring out the window.

Feeling the hand on her thigh slide higher she bit her lower lip, hard, to stop the smile that was threatening to show. Digging her nails into his skin, she looked over at him. Jenny bit her lip again, almost drawing blood, the way his eyes darkened as he looked at her made her skin tingle all over. It almost distracted her from her thoughts, but they were impossible to ignore.

She had noticed the change in him when he approached her after he had said goodbye to whoever he had been speaking to. The distracted look in his eyes was back, the same look she had seen earlier that night while she was speaking to Joann. She was dying to ask him who the man was he had been speaking to and why he seemed so pained to see him.

Jenny chewed the inside of her cheek, trying to decide whether she should ask Jethro now or later, after they had had dinner with the rest. The curiosity inside her gnawed at her, sighing she turned her attention back to the man next to her.

"Who were you talking to?" Jenny rolled her eyes at herself, any attempt at making it sound like a casual question had gone right out the window. She was sounding like a suspicious wife.

"Old buddy, we served together in Somalia. Turns out his daughter and Kelly are best friends." Jethro chuckled, the creases on his forehead easing away, he looked almost relieved that she had questioned him. "Back then he was popular with the women. Turns out he got one of them knocked up."

Jenny smiled at him, relieved that he wasn't snapping at her for asking questions.

Kelly coughed in the back seat and sniffed once she stopped. She grumbled as she shifted around in her seat trying to get comfortable. Leaning her head against the seat she blinked tiredly at the two adults who had turned to look at her.

Jethro averted his gaze to the rear view mirror, keeping a close eye on Kelly. He ran a hand through his hair, clenching his jaw tightly. He shuddered at the thought of staying up all night in the coming weeks with a grumpy toddler. Kelly became extremely clingy and grumpy when she was sick, which had the potential to drain the life out of anyone.

"Daddy, I no feel good." Kelly grumbled from her seat, her eyes were closed as she pressed her face into the seat. The usual rosy colour that tinted her cheeks had drained, leaving her pale and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

Jethro gripped the steering wheel tighter, praying that she wouldn't be sick in the car, "I know honey, we're almost at Nana's, okay?" He watched her nod weakly. Joann's house came into view, the driveway packed with federal plated Dodges.

The car rolled to a stop behind the other cars. Jethro was still unbuckling his safety belt when Kelly crawled between the two front seats. He watched as she crawled onto Jenny's lap and leaned against her, her eyes screwed shut and a frown creasing her forehead.

Jenny ran her hands through Kelly's slightly damp hair, smoothing the unruly curls down. Pressing a hand to her forehead she hugged her closer, cradling her in her arms.

"Jethro, she has a fever."

"Think Joann's got somethin'. Sit tight, I'll come round and get her." Jethro unbuckled his safety belt, already having opened his door.

"I can carry her. If that's okay with you." Jenny looked up from studying the little girl's face. Jethro smiled a little and nodded.

Jethro opened Jenny's door, helping her out of the car as she adjusted Kelly as she slept against her shoulder. Slamming the door behind her, he placed a hand on her lower back and steered her towards the front door.

Kelly stirred in her sleep as the door opened and the noise of everyone talking filtered into the cold night air. Arthur scurried into the foyer, barking at the intruders. Kelly grumbled and tightened her hold around Jenny's neck. The Chinese Crested tilted his head before starting to yap at them again. They could hear Joann scold the small dog from the kitchen as she hurried to welcome them inside.

Joann appeared in the foyer, a dish towel thrown over her shoulder and an almost irritated look on her face. The irritation seemed to ease a little once she saw them, concern took over as she hurried towards Jenny, who was still holding Kelly close to her. Pressing a hand against her forehead, she clucked at Jethro disapprovingly.

"It's because of these late nights out in the cold." Joann stated matter of factly, resting a hand on Kelly's back soothingly. She narrowed her eyes at Jethro.

Jethro raised his eyebrows in surprise, pointing a finger at himself, "Don't look at me. You picked her up, you should have taken her jacket." He snapped at Joann who had turned on him.

"Joann, my dear. Is it Jethro at the door?" Ducky's voice drifted in from the kitchen. It wasn't long before he appeared around the corner.

Jethro clamped his mouth shut, knowing there was no point in arguing with the older woman. Seeing Ducky, he stepped around Joann, making his way to where Jenny was standing almost awkwardly near the front door. He rolled his eyes at Joann as he looked at Jenny, feeling slightly better when Jenny struggled to hide her smile. Resting a hand on Kelly's back and the other on Jenny's shoulder, he steered them into the living room.

"Hey, Duck. Got anythin' for a fever?" Jethro asked over his shoulder.

"I've got some medicine, I'm sure it'll help. Donald?" Joann looked at Ducky, silently asking him to join her.

Jenny watched the two disappear, an amused look on her face. She turned to Jethro who was busy setting up a makeshift bed for Kelly, "Do you think those two..." She trailed off, not sure if she should actually say what she was thinking. Jethro shook his head at her, pulling his face almost in disgust.

"I rather not think about it." He grumbled as he took Kelly from her so he could lay her down.

Jethro smoothed Kelly's hair back, out of her face, the wild curls almost soaked with sweat. He crouched next to her, kissing her temple soothingly as she moaned. Kelly scrunched her face as she opened her eyes, meeting her father's, the tears already threatening to escape.

"Daddy," Kelly whimpered, her arms already reaching out towards her father.

"I know honey." Jethro whispered softly, "I know you feel icky, but Ducky's going to help you feel better, okay?" All he received was a half hearted nod and a quivering lower lip.

The old doctor appeared out of nowhere, a dark glass bottle in one hand and a thermometer in the other. Jethro stepped back, allowing Ducky to take over. Shrugging off his coat and jacket, he glared at Jenny as she snickered softly, his dark dress shirt was covered in blue glitter and the inside of his coat and jacket didn't look any different.

It seemed like all the glitter Kelly had been covered in had rubbed off on him, Jenny was almost spotless, except for the few blue glints in her hair. He kept that little piece of information to himself though, he actually liked the way her hair sparkled when the light caught the blue pieces of foil.

"Kelly has a slight fever, nothing too serious, but if it gets any higher it might be cause for concern." Jethro reached out to help the Medical Examiner to his feet, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Thanks Duck."

Joann stormed around the corner, the irritated look on her face back, she glared at Jethro darkly. Folding her arms across her chest as she regarded him, "Jethro, if you don't tell that _very_ special agent of yours to keep his hands to himself around the dinner table, I'm going to break his fingers."

The dinner table buzzed with conversation. After Jethro had explained that Kelly was sick and had calmed Abby down enough so she could take her seat again, they had finally settled down for dinner. Something Tony DiNozzo was very thankful for, since Joann had threatened to kill him instead of just breaking his fingers, and the wild look in her eyes told him she actually would.

Tony shoved yet another mouthful of food into his mouth, ignoring the distasteful look both Kate and Ziva were giving him. He looked up from his plate, scanning the table for anything he hadn't had yet. Tony sat back in disappointment when he realised all the dishes were empty. Tony frowned as he looked at his boss.

The light seemed to catch the older man just right, causing his shirt to glitter. Tony grinned to himself, feeling particularly brave since Gibbs was on the other side of the table, right across from him, and that there were witnesses if he did decide to kill him.

"Hey Boss," Tony drew his attention momentarily, he grinned at his boss slyly, "I didn't know you liked to impersonate Liberace."

The Italian let out a strangled cry as a booted foot made contact with his shin, "Ow! Boss."

Jethro glared at a giggling Jenny, she squeezed his hand that rested in hers under the table.

"Who's ready for dessert?" Joann stood from the head of the table.

Tony's hand shot up immediately, forgetting that he should appear injured. Joann shook her head but smiled anyway.

"I'll help." Jenny offered, prying her hand from Jethro's in order to stand up.

Joann waved her off, winking at her, "No, no, you sit. Jethro is perfectly capable of helping." She didn't miss the glare from him as he excused himself from the table.

Jenny watched them until they disappeared from sight, before turning her attention back to the story Ducky was currently telling them. Sitting around the dinner table listening to the older man regaling them with a story or two, reminded her of the rare occasions she had spent with family.

A movement near the door caught everyone's attention, causing Ducky to trail off halfway through his story. Kelly peaked around the corner, her eyes squinted, trying to keep the bright light out of her eyes. She yawned loudly and glared at everyone. Shuffling further into the dining room, she looked around the table.

"Come sit with me, Jelly Kelly." Tony coaxed softly, holding out his arms to the toddler. Kelly glared at him even more, shying away from his out stretched arms. He could hear everyone laugh quietly at his expense.

Jenny looked at Kelly with concern etched across her face. The little girl was even more pale than a couple of hours ago. The little girl looked straight at her and she felt her heart break as the tears slipped down Kelly's cheeks as she rushed towards her. Kelly wasted no time snuggling into her, one hand already fisted tightly in Jenny's blouse.

Placing a soft kiss on her forehead, Jenny slowly rocked Kelly, trying to get her to calm down.

The noise coming from the dining room was hard to hear from the kitchen, it always puzzled Jethro why the two rooms were so far apart. Sighing, he rolled his head from side to side trying to relieve some of the tension between his shoulder blades. Leaning against the counter, he waited for the kettle to boil. He heard Joann shuffle around and the clink of glass.

Jethro watched to old woman closely as she moved around the kitchen, there was something bothering her, he could see it in the way she tried to avoid looking at him. He found it strange, she usually badgered him with question until he snapped and told her something.

Trudging to where she stood, he reached up and took the rest of the bowls down that she couldn't reach. He grabbed her arm gently as she tried to push past him. He shook his head at her once she started to protest to being manoeuvred around her own kitchen.

"What is it?" Jethro growled at her when she tried to pull free of his grip. He let her go after a moment, scowling at her instead.

"What are you talking about?" Joann asked after putting a fair amount of distance between them, taking his spot where he had leaned against the counter.

Joann knew there was no point in playing dumb with Jethro, he would figure out she was hiding something sooner or later. When his pointed glare didn't falter she rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest, in no mood to be intimidated by him.

She'd had ulterior motives in asking him to help her, but now that the opportunity presented itself, she was starting to wish she had taken Jenny up on her offer instead. Tonight she had felt the loss of her daughter more than usual, and it reminded her once again of how short life truly was, and that there was no use in shutting people out.

Jethro had grown impatient and had taken it upon himself to dish out dessert, his back was turned to her and she knew he was dividing the apple pie in unfair portions. "Jethro," her tone was scolding but amused all the same, it still surprised her that he actually had a sweet tooth when it came to dessert.

Letting out a breath, Joann squeezed her eyes shut, "I thought about inviting your father." she blurted out before losing her nerve. The unmistakable sound of steel hitting glass echoed through the silent kitchen. Joann pursed her lips in frustration, preparing herself for the fight to come.

Jenny padded down the hall, a whimpering Kelly in her arm she tried her best to sooth her. The sound cutlery almost breaking caused her to stop right in her tracks.

"So he could spoil the evening by bringing a date?" Jethro's question was cold and full of unspoken accusation. Accusation that went back to the day of Shannon's funeral. He wanted to blame her for his father's choice of bringing a date to a funeral.

"The only person who would have spoiled everything, is you." Joann snapped at him.

Jethro grit his teeth, his top lip curling up in anger. He curled his hand into a fist, trying to stop himself from slamming it down on the counter. Turning on the older woman, he glared at her darkly.

"What Jethro? Don't you thing Jack deserves to be a part of Kelly's life?" It was a low blow, she knew how much he respected his father despite the bad blood between them. Jethro still didn't know that Jack had met Kelly, it was a secret that was slowly eating her up on the inside.

"No, Joann. If he wanted anything to do with his granddaughter he would have called, and apologised." Jethro growled at her, doing his best to keep his voice low and to avoid the rest of their guests to over hear their conversation.

"Oh for the love of..." Joann trailed off, rounding the island and standing in front of Jethro, "Why don't _you_ call and apologise for being unreasonable?" she poked him right in the chest, looking up at him.

"Unreasonable. He brought a date to my wife's funeral." Jethro ground out between clenched teeth.

Joann stepped back, an eyebrow raised, "You can't accept the fact that your father moved on." the words slipped out before she realised it, "You of all people should know that it isn't easy to do that." she added quietly.

Joann sighed, reaching out to take Jethro's hand in hers, she gave him an almost shaky smile, "Jethro, your father misses you and it's killing him that you're not talking to him."

"Joann, he-" Jethro started but Joann held up a hand and stopped him from speaking.

"He is your father Jethro, and parents make mistakes; you've made some of your own. That doesn't give you a reason to pretend he doesn't exist."

Jethro turned from staring out the window to looking at his ex mother-in-law, he opened his mouth to say something when a movement in the hall, leading out of the kitchen, caught his eye. Stepping around the older woman, he moved quickly to see who was hiding around the corner.

Jethro stormed around the corner, ready to head slap his senior field agent for eavesdropping on his conversation. He swallowed as he came face to face with a pair of emerald green orbs. He knew she heard his entire conversation with Joann, the angry and hurt look in her eyes told him that much. She shook her head when he attempted to explain what she had heard. Looking from her to Kelly, he could see the concern in her eyes despite being angry at him.

"She's been asking for you." Jenny managed to say calmly, prying the toddler's tight grip loose and handing her over to her father, "Her fever is back, I think she could do with some more medicine."

Jenny ran a hand through Kelly's damp hair, she hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should leave or stay and face him when they were alone. Chewing her bottom lip lightly; she felt herself leaning towards leaving, she didn't want to go into their pasts, she had too much to hide. Forcing herself to let go, she dropped her hand to her side and turned to leave.

Jethro's hand clamped around hers in a vice like grip, rooting her to the spot. Squeezing her eyes shut, she cursed his inability to let go of certain things.

"Don't..." It was all he said, and she could see that it was taking a lot out of him to try and stop her, to explain himself to her.

They didn't stay for dessert, Jethro excused them shorty after their confrontation, saying Kelly was looking worse and that he wanted to get her home. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. The ride to her Georgetown mansion was shorter than expected, and she found herself wishing that she had insisted Ziva bring her home.

They sat in silence for a while, the air crackling between them, whether with sexual tension or anger she wasn't sure. She wasn't all too sure about having this conversation with him. She had ignored the issue of Kelly's mother from the moment she found out about the little girl, she had never even bargained on them actually lasting this long. It might have been wrong of her to listen in on a conversation rather than announcing her presence, but she doubted Jethro would have told her.

Jethro looked over his shoulder at Kelly, who was fast asleep wrapped in his coat. He knew that he was supposed to say something since he had stopped her from running away, ultimately digging his own hole and now he didn't know how to get himself out.

He should have known that sooner or later the easy going relationship between them would go south. Secrets didn't make for a stable environment, and somehow he knew he wasn't the only one who had them. What angered him the most was that he felt like owing Jenny and explanation before she left his sorry ass.

"Walk you to your door." It wasn't a question.

Jenny nodded and opened her door, she cast one last glance in the back seat, watching for a moment as Kelly slept.

Jethro was waiting in the footpath, watching as she traced the frown on Kelly's forehead before extracting herself from the car and thundering past him to her front door. He rolled his eyes at himself when he realised he was jogging after her, almost like a lost puppy. What he did find interesting was the fact that she could move so fast in those heels, the woman really was going to be the death of him.

"Goodnight." The old cherry wood door was already open, all she had to do was slip inside and slam the door in Jethro's face.

"Jenny," Jethro growled at her, pulling her back before she could slip through the door.

The redhead glared at him, the golden rings around her eyes indicting just how upset she was with him. In the back of his mind he realised that her eyes looked the same when she was turned on. Pushing the thought to out of his mind, he dropped her hand and stepped back, running a hand through his cropped hair. This was harder than he thought.

"Why didn't you tell me Kelly's mother was dead?" There was no point in ignoring what she wanted to know. He'd lied to her from the beginning, and she didn't take very kindly to being lied to.

Jethro scowled at her, his uneasiness easily betrayed by the way he was clenching his jaw. Something she noticed he did when they were teetering on the edge of something serious that forced him to open up, or act in a certain way. Crossing her arms she raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for an answer.

When his only response was to shrug, she felt her restraint slowly start to slip. On any other day his preference for a non-verbal reply would have been endearing, but she wanted a straight answer from him, not one of his riddle-like questions. Stuffing her hands in her coat pockets, afraid she might snap and slap him for being a bastard, she stepped closer to him.

"All I want is a straight answer from you Jethro." She looked up at him, still considerably shorted than him in her heels. Jenny felt the irritation and anger radiate off him, uncomfortable with being confronted.

"Didn't think it would make for good conversation." Jethro snapped aggressively, he had to remind himself that she had every right to be upset with him. He would have been if she had lied to him.

Jenny's cheeks flushed, "You could have told me the night I asked you."

Jethro's glare darkened, he knew she was right, she had given him the perfect opportunity to come clean the night she had invited him to dinner. It dawned on him that she had given him every available opportunity to come clean about Shannon, when she could have easily accessed his personal file.

Jenny had opened the front door again, her one hand curled around the knob tightly. She was halfway through the door, on the verge of stepping inside and slamming the door in Jethro's face when his voice stopped her.

"Shannon died a month after Kelly was born." It was the same straight forward don't-ask-questions sentence he recited to all the other women he'd had in his life. The reactions were usually the same. They'd gasp and burst out in anger about being kept in the dark, after that it didn't last long, a week at the most and they'd be gone for good.

A smooth hand rested against his cheek, drawing his gaze from staring at nothing in the distance to looking right at Jenny.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Jenny asked gently, the barest hint of amusement seeping into her voice.

Jethro frowned at her. She didn't react the way he had expected and he guessed that, like him, she had dealt with death and loss too much in her life to be shocked by it; or she knew all along and just wanted to hear it from him.

Jenny waited patiently for Jethro to either pull away or answer her. She wasn't too surprised that Jethro's wife had passed away. After all she wasn't stupid, she had somehow known even before overhearing the conversation in the kitchen that Shannon had passed away, woman's intuition maybe.

The anger she felt toward him had faded some since he had at least given her an honest answer. It would have been childish on her part to slam the door in his face and tell him to get lost. Jethro was too much of an introvert to blab about how he felt, or even about his past. It took a lot of coaxing and occasionally anger to get him to say at least something about how he felt.

"Why aren't you talking to your father?" Jenny felt Jethro falter as he was nuzzling his nose in her hair.

"Don't start, Jen." Jethro's body tensed as he moved away from Jenny. It was one thing telling her about Shannon, and another telling her why he had no contact with his father.

Jethro stood on the last step leading up to the front porch, his back turned to Jenny. He had no particular reason for not talking to his father, only that he'd had a shaky relationship with his old man since his mother had passed away.

"How would you feel if Kelly didn't talk to you?" She realised too late that it wasn't the right thing to say.

"How can you ask that?!" Jethro shouted at her, his eyes flashing with pain and anger. He had made his way back up the stairs, invading her personal space, "You don't even have a kid, so you don't even know how it would feel." Jethro's anger had clouded his judgement, and he said the first thing he thought would hurt her feelings. He'd seen how much she cared for Kelly, and he knew she had a basic concept of how it would feel.

Tears sprung to her eyes, angry tears that stung. Jenny quickly took a step back as Jethro reached out a hand to her.

Jethro bit his tongue.

Jenny curled her hands into fists, and in that moment Jethro realised she didn't cry because she was angry. They were tears of regret, deep inside he prayed against all odds that she wasn't regretting ever getting involved with him.

"Jen-"

"No, you bastard. Don't try and explain yourself out of this." The front door was once again wrenched open.

Jenny turned just as Jethro decided to follow. She glared at him for even daring to follow her, "I care about Kelly, even though she isn't my own daughter. And I care about you, Jethro." she swallowed down the rest of her tears, "I might not be your wife, or Kelly's mother, but the least you can do is respect me."

The heavy door was halfway shut before she looked him straight in the eye, "Until you learn that a relationship is about mutual respect," her eyes flashed dangerously, "I suggest you don't come near me or even call me!"

The door slammed in his face.

* * *

The ever present blaring music was turned down enough to actually hear someone enter the forensic lab. The front office was deserted, the only activity coming from the whirring computers running tests in the background. It was enough to raise suspicion amongst those who knew the residing forensic scientist.

Abby's head popped around one of the large filing cabinets, her eyes scanning the lab meticulously, looking for any sign of _El Jefe_ or the _Lady Boss_. Satisfied that neither of them had wandered into her lab, Abby spun on her platform boots and bounced back to the silver metal table where her co-workers were currently seated.

"Should we not close the door?" Ziva leaned to the side, wanting to make sure no-one was there, listening.

"No, this way I can hear if one of them comes in." Abby retorted with an easy smile, Ziva looked at her unconvinced, Abby shrugghed and perched on one of the empty lab chairs. "So, do we know why Gibbs and Jenny haven't talked to each other in like a week?"

The two women across from her looked at each other, silently agreeing that they'd share what they knew with the Goth. Kate nodded her head towards Abby, urging the Israeli to share what she had gathered over the last couple of days.

Making sure there really was no-one next door Ziva finally caved, "Okay. I do not know the whole story but when I phoned Jenny last Sunday, she called me Jethro and said I should stop calling her." Ziva's brown eyes danced knowingly.

Abby moved forward on her chair, her elbows propped on the table and her chin resting in her palm, the crease in her brow indicating her concern. Shifting only slightly she met Kate's eyes, silently demanding that she share what she knew.

"That's all we know Abs." Kate lifted her hands in surrender as Abby glared at her. "All that I can say is that I'm surprised Jenny held out this long, because if Gibbs is a pain to work with imagine what he's like at home."

"Caitlin Todd," A voice boomed from the doorway.

All three women jumped. Ziva reached for her weapon, which thankfully was locked away in her desk.

"Jeez, Tony!" Kate growled at the grinning Italian.

"What, Kate? You thought I was Gibbs. It'll teach you to gossip without me." Tony pulled a lab chair closer, making himself at home next to Abby, clasping his hand on the table he looked between the three women, "What do we know so far?"

"Je-" Abby started.

"No!" Kate and Ziva shouted, both reaching across the table and clamping a hand over the babbling scientist's mouth.

Abby nodded her head with wide eyes, accepting the two women's silent request.

Tony narrowed his eyes at his two colleagues, unimpressed with their tactic of keeping Abby quiet on what she knew. Sitting a little straighter he smoothed his tie down before folding his arm. It wasn't long before he an accusing finger at someone.

"You're a bad influence." He grumbled at a smug Kate.

Kate grinned at him, fluttering her eyelashes prettily, "You're just jealous, Tony, because we know something about Gibbs that you don't." She shared a sly smile with Ziva before turning back to Tony.

"I expected more from you, Kate." Tony gave them all a hurt look for not including him in their late afternoon gossip session. He looked at his hands, inspecting his nails, determined on irritating them enough so they could share with him; even if it was just to have him leave.

Abby moved a little closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder in a silent apology. Tony wrapped an arm around her and hugged her, winking when she looked at him.

"Why do you think Gibbs and Jenny are fighting?" Abby asked after a short moment of silence, her green eyes large as she from the bright red straw in her Caf-Pow!

Tony narrowed his eyes at her playfully, pretending to think about it, "Maybe the Boss-man asked her for something more serious and she said no. I mean if you think about it, it makes sense doesn't it, he has a kid."

Kate rolled her eyes at Tony, "Don't kid yourself DiNozzo. Maybe Gibbs is the one avoiding something serious." She stared him down when he rolled his eyes at her, but she knew he understood where she was coming from. They both had been around when things had started to go wrong with Stephanie.

Ziva simply looked between the three as they shared their theories, not willing to enlighten them on just how much she knew of the two team leaders relationship. Although she wasn't completely sure what was the reason for their latest tiff, she knew it was something far more complex than what the rest thought.

"What if Gibbs asked her to marry him?" Abby burst out all of the sudden, her eyes glazing over slightly as she thought about it.

Kate looked at her in shock, along with Tony who looked almost terrified by the idea. Ziva snorted, rather unladylike, with laughter at the thought of her friend getting a marriage proposal. She had spent two years with Jenny Shepard and the last thing she wanted was to be married, no matter how remotely serious she was about the person.

There was movement near the door leading into the lab, and the sound of footsteps were barely discernible above the whirring of all the machines and the music playing in the background. Thinking on her feet, Ziva blurted out the first thing to alert the others of someone else's presence.

"The malls have ears." Ziva snapped at a yapping Tony.

Tony simply ignored her, he'd correct her later, and continued, "Gibbs is like a lone wolf with a cub, and no lady wolf – no matter how pretty she is – is going to get near him or his cub."

He was wearing an almost cheeky grin at his, what he thought great, analogy of the Boss-man. When his smile dropped, he realised they were staring at him. He felt the blood drain from his face as he looked right at Kate.

" _Gibbs?"_ Tony mouthed at her as she simply stared. The subtle shake of her head made him swallow heavily.

Spinning on his chair, he looked into a pair of angry green eyes.

"Jenny… Agent, Ma'am. We were just… I mean… I was just… shutting up ma'am" Tony blurted out all at once, the nervousness in his voice causing his words to come out in a jumble.

"Agent DiNozzo, how would you like it if I told Agent Gibbs you were chit-chatting in Abby's lab?" Jenny snapped at the younger agent as soon as he tried to explain himself.

"That wouldn't be very nice of you, ma'am." His attempt of a smile was short lived when he saw Abby shake her head vehemently at him to just stop.

Jenny simply glared at him darkly as he backed away from her, he'd seen her in interrogation before and she was giving him the same look as she did her suspects. He opted for hiding behind Abby since no-one really wanted to hurt her. Something else that terrified him was the rather formal way she addressed him, she rarely called any of them by their titles these days.

They watched as both Jenny and Ziva headed out of the lab.

Tony slumped down in his chair again, looking at his co-workers in shock, "Yikes."

The round button lit up as Jethro jabbed it repeatedly, calling the elevator to the squad room floor, letting out a sigh of relief when he heard the silver box spring into action. Looking over his shoulder, he could see that the rest of his team hadn't miraculously appeared once he left his seat. Only Tim was at his desk, writing up some reports. Jethro shook his head, there was no doubt in his mind that Kate and DiNozzo were somewhere slacking off, and if he found them he was going to wring their necks.

Jethro closed his eyes against the pounding headache in hopes of forcing it away. Kelly hadn't disappointed him in keeping him up at all hours of the night the last few nights. She had seemed better after the first few days and he had felt rather proud of fighting off the cold, he'd even sent her back to school. His victory had been short lived when he'd received a rather panicked phone call from Kelly's teacher saying she'd advise him to keep her home for a few more days.

The fight he'd had with Jenny hadn't helped either. Kelly had been asking about the redhead constantly and he was running out of excuses as to why she couldn't see her.

Jenny. He wanted to blame her for his lack of sleep as well. Whenever he did manage to get Kelly asleep he was lying awake running the things she had said through his mind. He wanted to hate her for saying things that actually made him feel guilty. The mannered person in him knew he should apologise for what he'd said, but he was too much of a bastard to actually say it. At least he'd come to his senses by the fourth time he had tried to call her.

The ding of the elevator brought him back from his thoughts, he waited impatiently for the doors to slide open before he had to face the woman who plagued his thoughts.

The glare he received as the metal doors opened made him narrow his own eyes. He gave no indication of actually moving out of the way.

"Special Agent Gibbs." Came the sarcastic acknowledgement.

"Special Agent Shepard." He bit back equally sarcastic.

Ziva rolled her eyes at the two of them. From what she had gathered from Jenny as she had ranted one morning about men and their incompetent way of thinking, they were fighting about something that could have been resolved with a gentler word – on both their parts.

"Nothing is ever resolved in silence." Ziva looked at them with raised eyebrows, daring them to say any different.

"With," They corrected her simultaneously.

"I meant what I said." The Israeli gave her friend a pointed look before excusing herself and leaving them alone.

Jenny studied Jethro as he stood in front of her. It was hard to miss the tiredness in his posture, or the dark circles under his eyes. She desperately wanted to reach out and smooth down his slightly mused hair; to run her fingers over the frown he wore until he relaxed. However, she was still angry about his remark and was still waiting for an apology she knew wouldn't come.

Clearing her throat, Jenny stepped off the elevator, standing a little closer to Jethro. She could feel the frustration radiate off him as he tried to glare at her. She knew that he was fighting a headache, the frown he wore told her that much, and the way he squinted instead of glared. Going against her better judgement she reached out a hand and rested against his cheek.

It was a silent moment of truce between the two of them.

They weren't any closer to apologising to each other about what had been said, but they needed the moment of contact, even if it was just to draw strength from the other.

Jethro breathed heavily as Jenny pulled away, and for a moment she thought he might apologise. She squeezed his hand tightly as they passed each other, not daring to turn and look at him, she simply squared her shoulders and pretended as if nothing had happened.

A cold wind swept through the suburban street, sweeping leaves up off the ground and blowing them over neatly raked lawns. Jethro turned the collar of his coat up, shielding himself from the icy wind. The curtains in front of the large window rustled as he made his way up the path. The front door swung upon just as he reached the landing.

"You expecting someone else?" Jethro asked as he stepped through the door.

"As a matter of fact, I am." Joann replied with a smile, shutting the door behind him, "Kelly's in the living room, she's been asking for you the whole day."

"She any better?"

"No, her fever spiked early this afternoon and she's been complaining that her tummy hurts. I gave her something for the fever and the stomach ache."

Jethro sighed dejectedly, "So she's worse."

Jethro turned to the closed sliding doors that lead to the living room. Opening the doors he saw Kelly bundled in a thick blanket fast asleep, her grey bear tucked in with her – his gaze immediately drifted to the movement on one of the other couches.

The young boy looked up, meeting his penetrative gaze. Kyle wormed a hand out of the blanket and waved at Jethro shyly. Returning the boy's wave he stopped glaring and offered the kid a small smile.

"Why is he here?" Jethro turned back to Joann, noting the amused look in her eyes.

"He came to visit Kelly, he was worried when she didn't show up for school this morning." Joann smiled at the little boy as he tried not to look at them, "I didn't see the harm in letting him come over. He's been very helpful."

Jethro nodded as he moved towards Kelly. Sinking down next to her, he took the teddy and placed it on the table, picking her up he cradled her in his arms. She stirred in her sleep, but didn't wake up she simply snuggled into the warmth she felt. Jethro sighed, hoping she'd be this peaceful when he got her home. He looked up at Joann as she held out the backpack that travelled everywhere with Kelly.

"Want me to wait 'til his mom picks him up?" Jethro indicated towards Kyle.

Joann shook her head, "No, I'm taking him home. Donald and I are having dinner with his grandparents, Donald knows his grandfather quite well."

Jethro stood with difficulty, the cold weather wasn't doing much for his injuries. He followed Joann out to the foyer, "Where's his parents?"

"His mother is in New York on business, and his father is stationed on a destroyer." Joann looked at Jethro closely, "Talking about fathers, have you thought about calling yours?"

"Joann," Jethro growled at the older woman, it was enough that Jenny had made him feel guilty about the subject.

The patter of feet prevented their discussion from going any further as Kyle rushed around the corner, his blanket trailing behind him and Kelly's bear clutched in a small fist. He stopped in front of Jethro, holding the bear up in the air, "Mister Gibbs, you forgets Kelly's bear."

Jethro took the bear and ruffled the boys mop of hair, "Thanks." the boy smiled shyly and scampered back to the living room.

They hadn't stuck around long after Kyle had given Jethro Kelly's bear. He had inquired what time her dinner date with Ducky was and had left as quickly as possible. He didn't need the older woman pestering him about having to call his father.

The murderous headache made it almost impossible to navigate a whining Kelly and a barking Yoda. Kelly stood on the porch, softly whimpering and complaining that she felt sick and that her tummy hurt. Jethro fished for the keys in his pockets, while trying to sooth Kelly.

"Daddy, it hurts." Kelly whimpered again, clutching her tummy with one arm as she held onto her father's jeans.

The lock clicked open, much to Jethro's relief. Yoda shot past them, barking happily at his owners, he whined and jumped against Kelly. The little girl turned away from the happy pup, leaning against her father. Yoda barked again, undeterred, and headed down the front steps heading straight for the open gate. A loud whistle caught his attention and he turned around heading towards the house instead.

Once Yoda was safely inside Jethro slammed the door shut, dropping his backpack along with Kelly's near the door, he'd tidy up later. Shrugging out of his coat, he knelt and helped Kelly take off her jacket, noting the thin sheen of sweat that covered her skin. He pressed the back of his hand against her forehead, and looked at her with concern.

"Daddy, I no feel good."

"I know, baby." Jethro kissed her forehead and picked her up, carrying her over to the couch.

Grabbing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, he helped Kelly strip out of her winter clothes and let her dress a little cooler. Picking her up and settling her on his hip, he tried to find her backpack, which had disappeared from where it had been discarded at the door. Jethro narrowed his eyes, "Yoda!"

The Boston Terrier pranced into the living room, Kelly's pink _My Little Pony_ backpack in his mouth. He wagged his tail as Jethro advanced on him, dropping the bag and barking happily at receiving attention. Jethro grabbed the backpack and bopped the dog lightly on the nose, growling at him to get back in his basket.

Once he'd rinsed Kelly's wash cloth in cold water and had measure the right amount of _Tylenol_ syrup in the dosing spoon and let her swallow it; and had placed an urgent call to Ducky, he settled them on the couch. Laying down he let himself relax for a moment. Kelly was sprawled out on his chest, the wash cloth placed on her forehead. The TV already on, an episode of _Johnny Bravo_ playing on the flickering screen. Yoda crawled towards them, and after receiving a glare he jumped on the couch and curled up near Jethro's feet.

Jethro smirked to himself, the cartoon character reminded him of DiNozzo. He let his mind wander to this afternoon, specifically the moment he had almost walked into Jenny.

It still burned where she had placed her hand against his cheek, in a good way. He'd missed her touch since they had decided to avoid each other, again. He'd wanted nothing more than to pull her against him when she had held his hand for a moment.

He supposed he was wrong for snapping at her for what she had said, after all it had hit home. He couldn't bare the thought of not talking or seeing Kelly for years, it would kill him knowing she didn't want anything to do with him. Jethro swallowed, hugging Kelly closer to him. He pushed the thought from his mind and focused on something else instead.

Jethro's thoughts once again turned to Jenny and what she had accused him of. He'd never meant to give her the impression that he disrespected her, or saw her as less of a woman because she wasn't Kelly's mother. If anything he envied her ability to bring everything into a relationship that was clearly far more complicated than what they had imagined. He had to at least let her know that much.

He had been worked up and had taken it out on her. It was unfair of him to wonder why she didn't ask questions when clearly his reaction didn't invite her to actually ask something. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders though, when he had told her about Shannon, what she did with the knowledge was up to her. The reaction he received was something he was still trying to get over, there had been nothing but understanding in her eyes.

Jenny Shepard was one of a kind, and he was a damn fool if let her slip through his fingers. All he had to do was admit that he had been wrong, it was the same thing keeping him from seeking forgiveness.

Kelly groaned softly as she shifted around; her face contorting with pain and letting a soft wail.

Jethro sat up, placing Kelly on his knee to look at her, he cupped her cheeks in his hands making her look up at him, "Kelly, does your tummy still hurt?" When all he received was a nod, he hoped Ducky didn't take too long.

"Does it feel like you're going to be sick?" Jethro asked almost nervously, the words brought back too many bad memories of ill judgement on his part.

"No," Kelly mumbled and moved closer to him, cuddling into him and resting her head on his shoulder. Leaning forward he picked up the, now warm, wash cloth and threw it on the coffee table. Yoda crawled towards him, whining softly.

Jethro lifted his arm, the Boston Terrier moved closer to Kelly and rested his head on her thigh, offering her his own brand of comfort. Scratching the pup behind his ears, Jethro eased back a little, still aware of the fact that Kelly looked a little green in colour.

It was hard to decide who had heard the unmistakable rumble of the old Morgan first as it turned onto their street. Yoda jumped up, snorting rather than barking as he scrambled to get off the couch and to the door. Jethro wasn't far behind him, struggling to his feet with a sleeping Kelly, his tired body was struggling to co-operate with having to react so quickly. Yoda started yapping hysterically as he heard footsteps headed towards the door.

"Yoda!" Jethro snapped irately at the dog, his poor attempt at barking wasn't doing wonders for his headache. The dog looked at him briefly with bulgy brown eyes and growled instead.

As the door swung open and it became clear who the intruder was; Yoda stopped barking and wagged his tale and snorted in excitement. He stood patiently as he was rewarded with a scratch behind the ear and his chew toy flying across the floor, which had been kicked by none other than his master.

Ducky watched as the Terrier shot across the room to happily chew on something other than his toys. Taking off his hat and coat, and placing his medical bag on the floor, he hung them neatly before turning to his patient and her father.

"Oh dear." The Scotsman looked at the toddler worriedly.

"Hey, Duck, I don't wanna keep ya from your date with Joann, but could you look Kel over and tell me if I have to make and appointment?" Jethro looked from Kelly to the Medical Examiner.

"Let's hold off on that appointment shall we." Ducky smiled at both reassuringly, grabbing the black leather bag at his feet and directing them towards the couch instead. He wasn't aware that Jethro knew about his dinner plans with Joann, he hadn't seemed too upset about it either. Ducky just hoped Jethro didn't know about the other reason he had agreed to visit.

Ducky pulled his stethoscope from its case – a gift from an old friend – giving young Kelly a warm smile he lifted her shirt just enough to press the diaphragm against her chest. He didn't have to tell her to breathe, she'd visited him enough by now to know what to do – thanks to her father's paranoia, at least he'd calmed down over the last year.

"Can it be her tonsils, Duck?" Jethro asked from where he was sat on the coffee table, watching Kelly closely.

"There's no visible inflammation," Ducky tried to feel for any sign of swelling, "has she been complaining about a sore throat?"

"Nah, just keeps complainin' that her tummy hurts." Jethro supplied, scrubbing a hand over his face tiredly.

"Ah I see." Ducky said knowingly, taking the thermometer he'd given Kelly after he'd examined her throat. It only gave a more precise reading of the fever he knew she had. Tapping the little girl's nose affectionately he placed a hand on her forehead, "My dear Kelly, do you feel like being sick?"

"No," She whispered, "my tummy hurts."

Jethro smiled wearily.

Ducky fished for something in his bag and pulled out a lollipop, offering it to his young patient. He smiled warmly at the soft thank you he received. Closing his bag he stood, motioning for Jethro to follow him outside.

He placed his hat on his head adjusting it a little, trying to stall for as long as possible. Jethro followed behind him in sock clad feet, making him even more stealthy than usual. He cleared his throat to chase away the nervousness, a feeling he rarely felt. Hesitant as to how to say what he wanted he chose to start with what he knew.

"It seems like Kelly might have a stomach virus, although I'm afraid it is only just starting." Ducky avoided looking at his colleague.

"Thanks Duck, apologies for keeping ya from dinner." Jethro turned, making his way back up the front steps.

"Jethro," Ducky's voice stopped him, "I suggest some time off, maybe a weekend away."

Jethro narrowed his eyes suspiciously, he was lost with what the comment meant. Running a hand through his hair, he moved down the steps and stopped in the footpath. Placing his hands on his hips he smiled slightly, "I've never been one for riddles, Duck." he was forming a slight idea as to what this was about.

Ducky gripped the handle of his bag a little tighter, wondering why he had agreed to talk to his friend about something that was in fact, a family matter. Adjusting his hat so he could look Jethro in the eye, he walked to were the younger man was standing.

"Call your father, Jethro."

"Ah hell, Ducky." Jethro pressed both his palms against his forehead, the subject was getting old, fast. "Who put you up to this, Joann? Or was it Jen?"

Ducky quickly saw an opportunity to deflect Jethro's question, "Is that the reason you and Jennifer have been fighting?"

Jethro let out a heavy sigh and shrugging in defeat, "I don't know. She seemed more upset about my dad than she did about Shannon."

Ducky didn't show any form of surprise, Jenny had told him all about what she had over heard, and he too had been caught off guard when she had confided in him that she wasn't upset about it. He admired her ability to understand why Jethro had kept that piece of information a secret, but he had detected pain that she seemed to share with her lover – albeit a different kind, he had seen the vengeance in her eyes.

"Jennifer is an understanding woman, maybe if you talk to her she'll understand."

Jethro narrowed his eyes, "Don't you have somewhere to be, Duck?"

Ducky let out a slight chuckle, "Yes, I better get going."

Jethro waited until the old Morgan backed out of his driveway and made it's way up the street. He shook his head, the nagging to call his father was starting to get on his nerves. The insistent scratching against the door lured him back inside.

It was somewhere before nine o'clock when Kelly started showing signs of being really sick. She'd complained about not feeling well and had refused to eat any of her dinner, despite the fact that she hadn't had anything solid to eat the whole day, except yoghurt and the lollipop Ducky had given her. Jethro had been in the process of washing the dishes when Kelly had alerted him she felt like being sick. They had just burst through the bathroom door when she couldn't hold out any longer.

Jethro settled Kelly in the bathtub, his knees protesting as he knelt down on the tile floor. He twirled his hand in the lukewarm water, trying to make the bubble bath liquid foam more. Taking the sponge that floated around in the water, he squeezed the water over the tiny body sitting in the tub. He prayed that the water might break her fever.

"Daddy," Kelly spoke after she was drenched in water, her curls plastered against her forehead.

"Yeah honey?" Jethro asked while squeezing conditioner into his palm.

"I wanna see Jenny." Kelly looked at him earnestly, her eyes shining with tears.

Jethro sighed, giving her a tight smile, pressing a kiss to her forehead he whispered against her temple softly, "Me too."

Kelly rinsed her own hair while Jethro looked around for a clean towel, "Remember to keep your eyes closed, Kel."

He heard her huff.

Jethro shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. Grabbing one of the towels in the closet he hurried back to where Kelly was waiting patiently in the tub. He was relieved when she looked as if she had a bit more colour in her cheeks. Lifting her out of the water, he wrapped her in the oversized towel and carried her back to his bedroom. Jethro helped Kelly dry off and let her get dressed while he hung the towel and grabbed her hair brush that had made its way onto his dresser.

Jethro watched as Kelly struggled to keep her eyes open, placing the brush back on his dresser he chose to rather struggle with the knots in the morning. He heard Yoda rushing up the stairs, his paws scraping on the wooden floor. It amazed him how the dog knew exactly when Kelly was about to fall asleep.

Yoda barrelled into the bedroom and jumped onto the bed. He found an opening to get under the covers and curled up next to Kelly. Jethro waited until both his companions for the night were settled before he turned off the light.

Feeling his way towards the bed he sunk down on the soft mattress, groaning as he stretched out. Kelly rolled towards him and rested her head on his shoulder, grumbling as Yoda moved closer to her and pressed himself against her back. Jethro reached out and scratched the pup until he settled down and started snoring, Kelly following closely behind him. Closing his eyes he tried to get some rest as well.

" _How would you feel if Kelly didn't talk to you?"_

Jethro's eyes snapped open, he could hear Jenny say those words, and if he closed his eyes he could see the sadness in her eyes.

Frustrated he searched for the switch that would turn on the lamp next to his bed. As soon as the room was dimly illuminated he grabbed his mobile phone – something he had acquired after the whole Kyle Boone fiasco – holding the phone in the dim light he ran his thumb over the keypad.

The red numbers on his alarm clock blinked, showing that it was nearing ten o'clock. Jethro cleared his throat, if memory served him right his old man usually stayed up until well past midnight. The keypad beeped with each number he punched in for his childhood home.

There was one number left.

Jethro narrowed his eyes, contemplating whether he had the energy to speak to his father. Kelly shifted and snuggled into his side. He'd do it for his daughter.

The final button beeped and the dial tone started almost immediately. Pressing the phone against his ear he waited for someone to pick up. It suddenly struck him that he didn't know whether his father still lived in the same house, or if he had someone to keep him company at night.

The dial tone continued for a while longer and Jethro considered hanging up before someone answered. Before he could go through with his plan, there was static on the line and voices being turned down in the background. Despite his hostile feelings, he smiled.

"Hello?" The familiar rasp of a voice came over the phone.

Jethro grit his teeth, still seeing the opportunity to hang up the phone.

"Hello?" Came the voice again, the annoyance in his voice clear.

"Jack," Jethro finally spoke, his father's name felt strange as he said it.

"Leroy." The older man sounded surprised, no doubt being caught off guard by the late night phone call, "Is everything all right? Did something happen?"

Jethro was silent for a moment, he hadn't spoken to his father in years, not even at the funeral. He scraped his throat before answering, "No, everything's fine." he closed his eyes and shook his head, this was pathetic, "How are you?" There was silence on the other end of the line, he could hear the cogs turn in the old man's head as he tried to find the right answer without setting off a fight.

"Everything is as good as it can be. How's my granddaughter?" It seemed like the safest topic to discuss given the circumstances.

"She's good, she's got the flu, but other than that she's just perfect." Jethro let out a deep breath.

Silence descended once again, neither sure what to say or ask next. Jethro pressed his palm against his forehead, running it through his hair and pulling slightly. He wasn't in the mood for a fight and he found that a serious conversation over the phone was too impersonal, and he suddenly felt the need to end the call.

"Can we come up for a weekend as soon as Kelly is better?"

"Nothing would make me happier. I'm sure you still know the way." It was impossible not to hear the smile in Jackson's voice at the thought of seeing them.

"Night." Jethro said roughly.

"Night, son."

Jethro flipped his phone shut, resting his head against the headboard. He was relieved at the thought of everyone getting off his back now that he had called his father.

He had been serious when he had asked if they could come up for a weekend, the change of scenery would be good for the both of them. In the dead silence of his bedroom he let his mind wander to the last time he had been in his home town.

The memories were too painful to relive, and he only then realised that he would have to face them again, alone. There was no doubt that the serious conversation between him and his father would happen, unless there was someone to distract them from doing so.

Maybe he could ask Jenny to join them, it might do the both them some good to be alone for a while, away from prying eyes. Kelly would be too caught up with being entertained by Jack to even pay attention to either of them, that's if she didn't turn into her shy-self when they arrived in Stillwater.

Jethro stared into the darkness, he created more problems for himself than he tried to solve them. There was still the issue of apologising for his actions the other night.

Remembering the brief moment of contact in the elevator, he found himself wanting to hear the redhead's voice before settling to finally sleep. Kelly shifted next to him as he started punching in the number, she groaned and rolled away from him, kicking away the comforter. Yoda looked at him as he moved to his feet instead.

"She's hot." Was his explanation to the confused pup as he curled up once again.

The phone was pressed against his ear again, he wasn't sure if she was still up at this hour or if she was getting the sleep he longed for. He doubted she would be in bed by now, if anything she was still at the office, working on who knows what.

"Shepard." Came the curt answer, he could hear the cleaning crew in the background as they moved through the empty office building.

"Don't you sleep?" It was a stupid question, but he hadn't bargained on her actually answering and he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

"Looks like you don't either." He felt himself being enveloped by her voice as she purred in his ear.

Kelly sat up next to him, her face once again pale.

"Jen, I have to go-" He dropped the phone on the night stand, grabbing the toddler. "No, Kel, don't!" Yoda gave a panicked bark and jump off of the bed.

Kelly bent forward and Jethro just closed his eyes, knowing it was too late.

* * *

The warm yellow lights inside the large Georgetown mansion was welcoming as it loomed in the sky proudly. The blood red hearse was parked across the street, it's occupant nervously debating her plan of dropping by uninvited. Grabbing the large leather bag on the passenger seat, she ventured across the street. Pressing the doorbell before she lost her nerve.

The door swung open and a Hispanic woman appeared, her dark eyes kind and warm. Abby's brows knitted together, "Oh, I'm sorry. I must have the wrong address." turning on her high platform boots she headed back to her hearse.

"No, señora, wait!" Noemi pulled her sweater a little tighter and stepped out, "I'm sure you have the right address, you are looking for Jenny?"

Abby stopped, lifting her bag a little higher on her shoulder, she walked towards the woman again nodding to her question. She relaxed when the older woman smiled at her and motioned for her to join her inside. Feeling the nervousness dissipate, Abby allowed herself to relax a tiny bit.

"I take it you are, Abby?" The older woman asked her once they were inside and the door was closed behind them.

Abby's eyebrows shot into her hairline.

The other woman laughed softly, placing a hand against her chest, "I am Noemi. Señora Jenny has spoken very highly of you." Noemi smiled again, "I call her for you."

Abby watched Noemi disappear down the hall, leaving her alone in the large foyer. Dropping her bag at her feet, she chose to pace around, running through her mind the various excuses for bothering Jenny at home. It wasn't long before she started twisting one of her pigtails, trying to make sense in her own head.

She jumped slightly when someone cleared their throat almost right next to her.

Abby stared at Jenny with large eyes, "Uhm… Hi."

"Hi, Abby." Jenny returned her greeting. A black blur headed straight for her, enveloping her in a bone crushing hug. Jenny patted Abby's back lightly, hoping she'd loosen her grip.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hug you so tight. It's just I'm nervous, I hope I'm not bothering you." Abby looked everywhere except at Jenny, "It's just, Ducky said you might visit Gibbs tonight, since he wasn't at work today, and I was wondering if I could give Kelly her gifts from the team so she can feel better."

Taking a breath Abby continued, "I would do it myself, but I know I'll get the flu. Once my cousin had the flu and we were together for like five minutes and I had it. Also I can't afford to stay away from work, because then they'd need to find someone to help out and that could take days. Timmy's got a degree, but he doesn't always understand Major Mas-spec. Tony's just an accident waiting to happen, and he'll just fight with Kate the whole time."

"Abby," Jenny interrupted the woman's ranting, an amused smile curling her lips, "Abby, it's fine I understand, and I really don't mind."

"Oh, okay, thank you." Abby turned to leave, her bag hoisted on her shoulder again.

"Abby," The scientist spun on her boots facing her again, "the gifts."

A faint blush crept across her cheeks. Dropping the leather bag on the tiled floor, she started pulling various packages out of it. There were a stack of VHS tapes, along with a new set of colouring books and new crayons.

"The tapes are from Tony, he said they were her favourite. The colouring books are from the rest of us, we couldn't decide on one so we each picked one."

"I'm sure she'll love it." Jenny took the items from Abby, placing them on the table next to her car keys, "We're fresh out of Caf-Pow!, the best I can do is coffee."

Abby giggled softly at the joke, shaking her head, "Oh, no thank you."

An almost awkward silence fell over the two women, neither sure what to say next. They very rarely spent any time together outside of work, and it was mainly due to the fact that Abby didn't want to interfere between her and Gibbs. The Goth chewed her lip again, wondering if she could speak freely.

"Something on your mind Abby?" Jenny asked when she saw Abby hover between leaving and speaking.

"That was such a Gibbs move." Abby said in the highest regards. After another bout of silence the Goth finally spoke, "I don't know why you and Gibbs are fighting, but I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you or anything. He's not very good with words and he doesn't always use the right ones, but deep down he's very sweet and caring."

Jenny smiled at the younger woman, reaching out she hugged her, "I know, Abs."

Abby beamed brightly, grabbing her bag were it lay on the floor she made her way to the front door, waving as she slipped into the early night air.

Jenny stood in the foyer, staring at the closed door, her mind miles away. She wondered if the good doctor had let it slip on purpose that she was thinking about visiting Jethro and Kelly, and if he had picked up on her indecision to actually go through with her plan. Last night's phone call had worried her, she had tried to call back but no-one had answered.

"You are wasting time staring at the door." Noemi said from behind her, a container in her hands.

"Is it too late to change my mind?"

"Yes," Noemi gave her a look that left no room for argument.

Noemi held up her hand to stop Jenny from protesting any further. Pushing the container into Jenny's hands she turned and went back to the kitchen. Jenny narrowed her eyes at the older woman. Huffing she pulled her coat on and gathered everything she had to take with her.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Jenny asked as Noemi returned with a flask in her hand.

"I'll be here, before you are awake. In the flask is coffee for señor Gibbs." Handing over the flask she folded her arms, a teasing smile on her lips, "Will you be home tomorrow?"

Jenny glared at her, she should have know Noemi would tease her about _that_ incident. Noemi gave her a tight hug and kissed her temple, already steering her towards the door, "Now leave before it gets too late."

The urge to runaway was almost over whelming as Jenny made her way up the footpath. She briefly entertained the idea of placing everything on his doorstep, knocking and then heading back to her car. She was finding her inability to stay angry with him increasingly frustrating. He was supposed to apologise for what he had said, not sweet talk her into forgiving him without actually saying it.

Standing on his doorstep, she wondered whether she should let herself in or knock, either way Yoda would still alert him that there was someone at the door. Opting for knocking, she rapped her knuckles against the oval window, and waited. It wasn't long before Yoda was in front of the door, barking at the late night visitor.

There were butterflies in her stomach as she heard Jethro snap at the Boston Terrier, Jenny suddenly felt anxious about dropping by, not sure how she would be received.

Jethro appeared on the other side of the window, a dark scowl on his face.

Jenny bit her lip, she knew he meant to look intimidating, but she found him rather attractive as he glared at her. The hard expression eased away as he realised who she was. He moved to open the door and she admired the way the light made the streaks of silver in his dark hair more prominent.

"What ya doin' here, Jen?" Jethro had stepped aside to let her in, the smallest of smiles playing on his lips.

Walking into the warmth the house offered, she indicated to everything in her arms, "I come bearing gifts."

Jethro raised an eyebrow at her as he shut the door. She handed him the two packages his team had sent along with her, "These are for Kelly, from your team." she held the container up, "As is this, Noemi's famous chicken broth."

Jethro eyed the flaks in her other hand, she grinned at him and held it up, "This," she stepped closer to him, "is for you."

"You stayin'?" Jethro asked as he placed everything on a nearby table.

Jenny pursed her lips, this was her opportunity to make up an excuse and leave. She felt herself being drawn in by the mesmerizing blue orb that stared at her. Against her better judgement, she nodded, already shrugging her coat off her shoulders. Jethro took it from her and hung it on the rarely used coat rack.

Jethro placed a hand on her lower back, steering her into the living room. They stopped near the couch were Kelly was fast asleep with Yoda curled up right next to her. "She's been asking to see you." The surprise on her face was enough to make him smile once again.

"Is she okay? Last night she didn't sound too good." The dark look on Jethro's face told her he didn't want to talk about it.

Jethro took the flask and container and headed for the kitchen, motioning for Jenny to follow. He watched as she took a seat at the breakfast table. He had been surprised when she had turned up at his door, their phone call the previous night had been cut short before either could actually say anything. Unscrewing the top of the flask, he grunted his approval.

"Noemi said she doubted you've had a decent cup of coffee since Kelly had fallen sick."

Jethro poured the bitter brew into two cup, handing one to the redhead, "Noemi is a very smart lady."

The inevitable awkwardness settled over them as they sat across from each other.

Jethro drank from his mug, savouring the unique blend of bitter brew. Licking his lips, he watched Jenny closely as she stared into her cup, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. He probably had to explain why he had called her, but the silence was much safer. He desperately wanted to reach out and tuck the strand of red hair behind her ear, but he wasn't entirely sure where he stood with her.

Draining his mug of coffee, he pushed it away. Leaning forward on his elbows, he gave in to temptation and wrapped the lock of hair around his finger, enjoying its softness. She had looked at him when he moved, but had dropped her gaze when he touched her. Taking her chin in his thumb and forefinger he lifted her head gently to look at him.

Running his thumb across her lips he moved even closer, "I respect you, Jen." his voice hoarse as he spoke.

Jenny closed her eyes and nuzzled her cheek into his palm, it was the closest to an apology she was ever going to get from him. Opening her eyes again she met his cobalt blue gaze, she felt her stomach flutter at the earnest look in his eyes. She could clearly see that he really did want her to forgive him. It dawned on her that she was in big trouble if all he had to do was flutter his pretty man-lashes and drop his voice a few notches.

The voice inside her head warned her that she couldn't forgive him that easily, it wasn't that simple, but she ignored it. Pressing a kiss to his palm, she took his hand in hers, "I guess I can forgive you."

Jethro grinned at her, a few creases around his eyes disappearing as he relaxed more in her company. He moved towards her his other hand sliding into her hair, holding the back of her head. He pressed his nose against hers affectionately, drawing a smile from her. Tilting her head to the side he leaned in and kissed her.

Jenny sighed as his lips moved against hers, she couldn't remember coffee ever tasting this good. It felt exhilarating feeling his mouth on hers again, he had a certain intensity in the way he kissed her that she doubted she'd ever get enough of, his tongue touched hers tentatively and all thought left her. She heard him groan in pleasure or pain she wasn't sure, but pulled away in need of breath.

Jethro's pupils were fully dilated leaving dark blue rings around them. She licked her lips, savouring the taste of him. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes, "You kiss everyone like that when they forgive you?"

"Mmm... yeah." The huskiness in his voice sent shivers down her spine. Smiling against his lips she kissed him again, taking advantage of being this close to him.

"We have an audience." Jethro murmured against her lips.

Yoda looked at them, not the least bit phased by the glares directed at him. He shifted around in his basket, snorting obnoxiously as he tried to get comfortable.

"What," Jethro snapped at the pup when he didn't look away from them.

"Daddy!" Kelly called from her place on the couch. Extracting himself quickly, he hurried to where Kelly had sat up, looking around with bleary eyes.

"Are you going to be sick?" Jethro had the bucket in front of her. They'd had too many misses over the last twenty four hours for him to try and get her to the bathroom on time. He was already down to his last pair of sweatpants.

"No," Kelly mumbled, looking at the bucket in distaste. Jethro picked her up and looked at the two packages that had been sent for her, but he doubted she'd be interested when she saw who was waiting in the kitchen.

"Guess who's here."

Kelly yawned and shrugged her shoulders before dropping her head on his shoulder, already falling back asleep. He rubbed her back softly as she snuggled against him, trying to sooth her. She hadn't slept for more than two hours at a time without being sick. It had been the longest she'd slept without being sick or having a high temperature, he hoped the chicken broth Jenny had brought with her would stay down long enough.

"Kel," Jethro whispered in her ear, "look who's here."

Kelly sat up in his arms, blinking tiredly, it took her a moment to focus on who was standing in front of her. She smiled at the redhead tiredly and reached out towards her, "Jenny," she mumbled as she laid her head on Jenny's shoulder, "I miss you."

Jenny hugged the toddler tighter, rubbing her back soothingly. Taking her seat again, she adjusted Kelly to be more comfortable. Jethro was moving around the kitchen quietly, leaving her alone with her thoughts while Kelly slept in her arms.

She watched the little girl sleep in her arms, she kissed her forehead softly. Kelly frowned in her sleep, looking much like her father, smiling she drew her eyes away from the little girl and looked at Jethro as he moved around the kitchen. It was amusing to see how different he was in private as opposed to how he was at work – and it took her back to the first day she'd seen him in the squad room.

Jethro lifted her empty coffee cup, silently asking if she wanted a refill, he twitched his nose at her when she shook her head and turned back to the counter. She looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his behind a little longer than necessary. Running her eyes upwards, she admired his broad shoulders, the realisation that she was undressing him with her eyes was one she didn't mind all that much. She was still smirking when he turned around, and the heat in her cheeks gave away just exactly what she was thinking.

With a _Star Wars_ bowl in one hand and a fresh cup of coffee in the other, Jethro opted for the seat next to Jenny's. Placing the hot chicken broth in front of her he dropped a spoon next to the bowl. Taking a drink from his mug, he scratched the underside of Kelly's sock clad foot lightly. The little girl wriggled her toes and kicked her father's hand away.

"No tickle." Kelly grumbled as she sat up in Jenny's lap, glaring at her father moodily.

Jethro smiled at her and placed the spoon in the bowl, "Eat, Kel."

"No, I no hungry." Kelly mumbled as she leaned against Jenny again, toying with the strands of red hair.

"Jenny brought it for you." Jethro attempted to bribe her. He was rather proud of himself when Kelly sat up straighter and tried the broth for herself. When she took a second spoonful, Jethro relaxed and sat back, his free arm resting on the back of Jenny's chair.

"Should I be taking that as a complement?" Jenny whispered.

Jethro swallowed his mouthful of coffee, "I didn't think it would work."

Jenny laughed softly, shaking her head at him. He shrugged and let his hand slip into her hair again. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes as he started massaging her scalp. She wondered if he knew enjoyable it was when he played with her hair, or when he was doing what he was currently doing. There really was no denying it; Jethro Gibbs was good with his hands

"Done," Kelly placed her spoon in her empty bowl and slid down Jenny's lap, "Yoda!" The Boston Terrier shot out of his basket, happily following his mistress to the couch where they crawled under the blankets again.

Jethro shook his head, he moved his chair a little closer to Jenny's. He kissed her cheek softly as she turned towards him, he could hear the soft sigh she let slip, "Tough case?"

Jenny shook her head, smiling slightly, "Long day."

Jethro rested a hand on her thigh, pressing his fingertips into the tight muscles. Nuzzling his nose in her hair, he kissed just below her ear. "I called my dad last night."

"Mmm, and how did it go?" Jenny moved even closer too him, enjoying the attention.

"Said we'd visit him as soon as Kelly's better." Jethro husked into her ear, liking the way she shivered. Taking advantage of her relaxed state he pressed on, "You ever been to Stillwater?"

"No, I don't even know where that is."

"Good, cause you're goin' with us." Jethro kissed her cheek again.

"What?" Jenny moved away from him, her green eyes large, "No, Jethro, I'm not."

Jethro pulled her closer again, once again burying his nose in her hair. "Come on, Jen. It'll be good to get away from everything and everyone. Some time alone even." He kissed down her neck, his teeth lightly grazing the sensitive skin.

"Why do I feel like that's not the real reason you want me to go with you." Jenny spoke softly into his ear, enjoying the way his skin broke out in goosebumps.

"You're too perceptive for your own good." Jethro said with a slight laugh. Resting his hand on her cheek he turned her face towards his. Pressing a soft kiss to her lips he rested his forehead against hers, "Please?"

Jenny raised an eyebrow at him, "You can be very sweet when you want something." all she received was a grin in return. Shaking her head, she kissed him back, "I don't have much of a choice do I?"

"Nope."

"Then I suppose I could go with you." Jenny leaned into him, breathing him in. It was only now that she was this close to him that she realised how much she had missed him. There was something about his silence that was calming.

Jethro coaxed her mouth open and deepened their kiss. It wasn't long before she felt his rough hands slip under her sweater. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled him even closer in their awkward position. He was about to pull her onto his lap when her phone went off.

With great difficulty she extracted herself from him and answered the offending piece of technology.

Jethro could gather from her side of the conversation that their time together was about to be cut short. He cleared the table and waited for her to finish. After a brief conversation in Hebrew with Ziva she snapped her phone shut and turned back to him.

"Dead marine?" He couldn't help his curiosity.

"Domestic violence."

Jethro only nodded, he'd had his fair share of cases involving beaten women and children to make his blood boil. He followed Jenny as she made her way to the front door, he stood back as she said goodbye to a sleepy Kelly. He smiled when Kelly returned the kiss to Jenny's cheek.

Helping Jenny pull on her coat, he opened the door for her. When he tried to follow her out she stopped him. "She might need you." She kissed him and turned to leave when he grabbed her hand.

Pulling her into his chest, he slid a hand into her hair and placed the other on her butt. He swayed with her a little, drawing the moment out as long as possible before she had to leave. Kissing her deeply until she was breathless, he pressed his lips against her ear.

"I care about you too, Jenny."

* * *

Jethro rolled his head from side to side, causing it to pop. Yoda yapped at him from the back seat, earning himself a glare from Jethro and a growl from Jenny, Kelly was too deep a sleeper to hear anything. Kelly had been the first to fall asleep as soon as her father had loaded her in the truck. Jenny had kept him company an hour into their drive before she too had fallen asleep. The silence in the cab had made him face the reality of what it meant, the last time he'd been home he'd just turned twenty, and now nearly eighteen years later he was returning.

After Shannon had moved to Washington with him, neither of them had felt the need to go back. He doubted much had changed since the last time he had been in Stillwater.

The sun was slowly starting to rise, turning the dark sky into a soft blue hue. Jenny stirred in her seat as the sun started heating her skin, she mewled softly as she stretched in the limited space. Her eyes opened against her will and she watched as the landscape flicked past her, she knew there was no point in trying to go back to sleep. Twisting in her seat she stared at Jethro instead.

"Morning," Jenny mumbled as she straightened in her seat, once again trying to stretch.

"Mornin', did the dog wake you?" Jethro glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to the road.

Jenny shook her head and settled back in her seat a little more comfortably, "How long was I asleep?"

"'Bout an hour." Jethro rested a hand on her knee.

"Daddy, I am hungry." Kelly said sleepily, she rubbed her eyes and yawned loudly, smacking her lips, "Daddy are we there yet?"

Jethro chuckled, "No, were not there yet. And we'll have breakfast soon." when he received nothing in return he assumed that his little girl was satisfied with his answer.

The silence hadn't lasted more than five minutes before Kelly started asking all sorts of questions. Questions that even Jenny secretly wanted the answers to. Jethro felt his patience start to wear thin as Kelly asked the same questions over and over again. He was gritting his teeth by the time she asked him if he and his father looked the same for the tenth time. He'd never been happier to see an exit for the nearest gas station.

Kelly forgot all about her questioning once she was out of the truck and happily rolling around on the grass with Yoda. Jethro left her to play, at least he'd have some time to sort through his thoughts before they set out for the final stretch towards Stillwater. Jenny had offered to find them something that at least resembled a light breakfast, since Jackson insisted on having brunch with them once they arrived.

Kelly giggled as Yoda pounced on her and waited for her to throw his chew toy so he could fetch it. Tossing the toy as far as she could she jumped up and ran to her father for safety. She jumped into his waiting arms and laughed as he scooped her up and tickled her.

Kelly settled down as Jethro held her and they both watched Yoda make use of the large expanse of grass. He could feel his daughter's inquisitive gaze burn a hole in the side of his head as he made sure Yoda didn't wander off.

"Daddy?" Kelly rested a hand on his cheek, and turned his face so he could look at her, "Why I never meet grandpa?"

Jethro frowned a little, "I was angry with him for a long time." he answered his daughter truthfully. He didn't see the point in lying to her.

She didn't say anything, she just rested her head on his shoulder and hugged him.

The sound of Jenny clearing her throat drew their attention away from Yoda rolling in the grass. Jethro saw the way she looked at him and knew she'd heard the conversation between him and Kelly. This trip was harder than he'd thought, he was facing memories that were both old and painful to relive. Admitting to his father that he'd been wrong in pushing him away was going taking more out of him than he had bargained for.

"We've got a choice of blueberry, chocolate chip and bran muffins." Jenny presented the three choices in muffins as they took a seat on the nearest picnic table. She'd taken the disgusted look on her lover's face that he wouldn't be picking the last one.

"Which one would you like, Kelly?" Jenny turned her attention back to the little girl. Jethro leaned down and whispered in Kelly's ear.

"Blueberry." Kelly looked up at her father confirming her choice, when he nodded at her discreetly she grinned.

Jenny glared at Jethro as she passed Kelly her muffin along with a bottle of fruit juice, "I should make you eat the bran muffin." she continued to glare at him.

"No, it's bad for my health." Jethro said deadpan.

Jenny shook her head, fighting the urge to laugh at his comment, when he gave her a lopsided smirk she laughed softly. She slid one of the tall Styrofoam cups across the table, she watched him drink the bitter swill and lick his lips. He hummed in appreciation and drank the scalding liquid again.

Breaking a piece off her muffin, Jenny fed Yoda under the table when Jethro wasn't looking. Jenny rolled her eyes when the dog snorted as he ate, so much for being discreet. Kelly tried to hide her giggles as Yoda whined and barked for more. Jethro took a long drink from his cup and raised an eyebrow at her. Yoda barked again looking at Jenny with large eyes.

"He's your problem now." Jethro said simply as he drained the rest of his coffee.

Kelly moved around on the bench where she was seated next to her father, kicking her legs as she stared at her juice bottle. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she waited for her father to finish his conversation with Jenny. She tugged on her father's hand urgently until he turned to look at her.

"What's wrong, Kel?" Jethro looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Motioning for him to come closer, she whispered in his ear. When she pulled away she avoided looking at Jenny and busied herself with the decorative buttons on her jeans. Jethro rested a protective hand on her head and made her look at him.

"Do you want Jenny to take you?" He asked quietly. Kelly shook her head violently and buried her face in his side, not wanting to look at anyone.

"Is she okay?" Jenny asked concerned.

"Yeah she's just shy," Jethro stood and hoisted Kelly onto his hip, "you see the head anywhere?"

Realisation dawned on her, "Yeah, inside."

Jethro made his way across the parking lot, adjusting Kelly a few times since she couldn't keep her legs still. The small shop was surprisingly busy for six o'clock on a Friday morning, nodding politely at the woman behind the counter, Jethro managed to find the long hallway that lead to the bathrooms.

A sudden panic settled over him as he realised that there was no family bathroom.

Double checking the doors to make sure he hadn't passed it, he came to a harsh realisation. He he'd never taken his daughter on a road trip before, and the last time they had travelled over a long distance she had been a month old baby. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind he stared between the two signs that indicated the different bathrooms. He didn't feel right about exposing his daughter to a men's restroom, it just felt wrong, and it was probably no where near as sanitary as it should be.

"Daddy." Kelly said urgently.

Looking around, he made sure there was no-one around before entering the ladies restroom. Thankful that it was empty he ducked inside the first stall, and struggled to manoeuvre himself and Kelly so he could just close the door. Placing Kelly on the floor, he turned his back to give her at least some privacy.

Jethro felt his heart sink to the soles of his shoes when the restroom door swung open and a group of women came in. Despite his current predicament he couldn't help but listen to what they were chatting about.

"Daddy." Kelly whispered.

Jethro quickly helped Kelly. Standing her in front of him he helped her fasten her jeans, he'd hoped the women would have left by now but he had no such luck. Taking Kelly's hand, he tried to fight down the heat in his cheeks as he opened the door. The chatter didn't stop until both he and Kelly were stood between all the women.

The chatter stopped immediately, Jethro rolled his shoulders and walked with Kelly to the sink. Lifting her to sit on the counter top he proceeded in washing his hands and Kelly's. He could see the surprised, and a few sympathetic, looks directed his way in the mirror. He felt proud of himself when he succeeded in making them more uncomfortable than he was when he glared at them.

Handing Kelly a paper towel he waited patiently for her to dry her hands before throwing it away. Lifting her down he took her hand and lead her to the door, he'd hardly closed the door when the restroom erupted in chatter.

Jenny was already waiting in the truck with Yoda on her lap barking at every car that drove past them. Jethro buckled Kelly into her car seat and slid into his own seat. Jenny noted his flushed cheeks as he avoided looking at her. She didn't have to wait long before he blurted out what caused him to blush so profusely.

"I went into the women's restroom." He appeared almost scarred by the incident.

"And?" Jenny prodded a little further, enjoying how uncomfortable Jethro was with recounting his experience.

"Do you women always refer to..." Jethro looked at Kelly making sure she wasn't listening, still uneasy he mouthed the word.

' _Sex.'_

"As colouring?" He glared at her when she grinned at him dangerously.

Leaning closer to him she whispered in his ear low enough that only he could hear, "Yeah, and sometimes we compare the size of crayons."

The wide-eyed look he shot her was enough to make her day.

The small town really hadn't changed at all since the last time Jethro had seen it. The small business signs were all the same, and he was willing to bet that the faded paint covering the walls were still from when the doors to the stores had opened the first time. He felt a sense of dread as the sign for the general store came into view, but his eyes strayed to the little clothing store next door.

If he closed his eyes he could still see her standing there in the window, looking right through him with the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen.

People had stopped to see who had rolled into town, curious as to who the visitors might be. Jethro got out of the truck, scanning the side walks. He recognised a few faces, some as friends of his father's others as fellow classmates back in the day. Their judging looks turned from him to the redhead who had accompanied him, there was no doubt that rumours were already doing their rounds, since he knew his father would have told everyone about his visit.

Ignoring the stares, he helped Kelly out of the truck. Rolling the window down he left Yoda in the truck, they'd be back before he even knew they were gone, and his father would have a coronary if he took the rambunctious pup into the store.

Jenny looked around, equally curious. She'd never been in a town so small that people literally knew everyone. It gave her insight into Jethro's strong need for privacy, he'd grown up with people almost constantly looking over his shoulder. The gentle pressure of Jethro's hand on her lower back made her stomach flip. She was in all honesty nervous to meet his father.

Jethro opened the door to the general store, hearing the familiar jingle of the bell took him back to a time where he had been the one working the cash register on weekends. He let Jenny in first before following right behind her. He felt her small hand slip into his as they stood near the counter.

"I'll be with you in a minute to help!" The raspy voice echoed from somewhere in the store.

Kelly slid down her father's side to the floor, hopping to the counter that displayed various jars and containers packed full of sweets and treats.

Jethro felt Jenny occasionally clench her hand in his as they waited. He laced his fingers with hers, her nervousness was making him more edgy than it should. He leaned in to whisper something in her ear but the moment was ruined when Kelly intervened, drawing Jenny's attention to the sweets display.

Jenny squatted next to Kelly, wrapping the little girl in a hug, listening as she rattled on about nothing in particular. He recently found himself admiring Jenny even more when she interacted with Kelly. There was a softness in her that came out whenever she was around Kelly, she became more relaxed and her green eyes seemed to sparkle even more. It made him feel something he hadn't felt in a long time.

His musing was cut short when he heard footsteps approach from the back of the store. Straightening up, he crossed his arms over his chest, pursing his lips.

"How can I.." Jackson trailed off when he saw his son standing near the door, his granddaughter wasn't too far away happily talking to a woman he assumed was Jenny. He hadn't expected him to actually show up.

The two Gibbs men stared at each other.

Jenny looked over her shoulder and was slightly surprised by how similar father and son looked. Standing she steered Kelly away from the tempting treats and towards her father.

"Jack!" Kelly exclaimed excitedly. She still remembered him from months back and the lunch she had shared with him.

Jethro was shocked as Kelly whirled past him and straight into Jack's waiting arms. She laughed as he scooped her off the floor and showered her with kisses.

"Daddy it's Jack! The astronut!" Kelly said happily hugging her grandfather, "Jack, why you not in space?"

Jackson laughed, "I'm home for the weekend."

Jethro was still in a state of shock when Jackson carried Kelly towards them. He'd never seen Kelly so easily run to a stranger, but the cogs in his head were already turning. She said he was the astronaut, which made him remember her obsession with space and someone named Jack, it hadn't made sense back then, but it did now.

"She didn't tell you." It was a statement, not a question. Jackson looked at Kelly and winked, "I had lunch with Joann, she'd brought Kelly along."

Jethro simply nodded, he'd mull over everything later. He had to swallow a few times, his father seemed older than he last remembered, there was more salt than pepper in his hair. He still looked good for a man his age, but for the first time Jethro could see his father was getting old.

"Honey," Jethro addressed his daughter with a smile. "Jack's your grandfather." He knew Kelly had been excited to meet her grandfather after he had explained to her that he was like her Nana, only he was his father as well.

"You can call me Papa if you like." Jack smiled at Kelly as she mouthed the word softly.

"Papa Jack." Kelly stated before hugging him tightly.

Jethro still looked taken aback by the fact that Kelly was so smitten with Jack.

Jackson placed Kelly back on the floor before extending a hand towards the redhead, offering her a warm smile, "Jackson Gibbs, Leroy's father, but you already knew that." Jackson took her hand in his and winked at her.

"Jenny Shepard, Leroy's girlfriend." Jenny returned his greeting with a smile, as confident as usual.

Jackson smiled at her, and she could see where Jethro had gotten his crooked grin from. He seemed amused by her introduction of who exactly she was.

"I like her." Jackson said to his son with an easy smile.

The door to the store burst open and a young African-American boy stumbled through the door. Kelly jumped in surprise and ran to her father, hiding behind his leg. The young boy looked over his shoulder before turning his attention to Jack.

"Sorry I'm late mister Gibbs." The young boy apologised earnestly, taking his backpack off his shoulder and dropping it behind the counter.

"It's all right Duncan." Jack patted the young man on the back, looking out the large window onto the street, "Was that Gantry boy bothering you again?"

"It's nothing." Duncan dismissed the issue, moving to take his place behind the cash register.

"Gantry?" Jethro asked, looking at the boy, "Ed Gantry's son?"

"Now, Leroy, don't you go raising hell over this, you just got back give it a day, at least." Jack said knowingly. Jethro just rolled his eyes at his father.

"Okay, Duncan, I'll be back by noon so you can take the afternoon to study for that big test of yours. I don't want your mother breathing down my neck if you fail." Jack gave the young man a knowing look as he started ushering his visitors out the door.

"Don't you worry about her mister Gibbs. Nice meeting you!" Duncan called as they headed out the door receiving waves from everyone.

The old Ford truck rolled to a stop a few blocks away from the general store. Things really hadn't changed at all, the traditional white picket fence was still up around the front of the old house, the only thing that changed was the brand new coat of white paint that covered it. The roses that had been planted in front of the house were in full bloom for fall. Jethro swallowed against the memory of his mother watering them early in the morning. She was the reason he had roses in his own garden back in DC.

Getting out of the truck with a heavy heart, Jethro made his way to the bed of the truck. Jack was already ushering Jenny and Kelly up the footpath with Yoda prancing after them. Taking a moment he took in the old house, his eyes scanned the top row of windows and stopped when they landed on the last one on the left. The room had been his safe haven since his mother had passed away, before that it had simply been just a room.

Grabbing his duffel bag, he hoisted it over his shoulder. Pulling Jenny's closer he was thankful that she had listened and had backed light. The last two was filled with Kelly's belongings, one for her clothes and one for her various toys. Carrying the bags up the footpath, he stopped and took a breathe before heading inside.

Jethro scanned the foyer, all the pictures still hung on the walls, and as before everything was still the same. He could hear Kelly's laughter come from the kitchen and he lugged all their bags with him.

Kelly was sat on Jenny's lap, safely wrapped in the redhead's arms, watching as Jack started the old percolator. Yoda was sniffing around, familiarising himself with his new environment. Catching Jenny's eye, he smiled at her, taking comfort in the fact that she was there to distract him form the memories.

"We'll discuss sleeping arrangements later, Leroy. Why don't you get the bacon and eggs while I start the coffee and toast."

Jethro packed the duffel bags neatly in the hall, and set out starting brunch. He placed a gentle hand on Jenny's shoulder when she wanted to help, telling her that he was fine.

It was entertaining to see how easily Kelly could wrangle something out of her grandfather, by the time brunch was ready she had managed to get Jack to make her chocolate chip pancakes. Jethro had given her several warning looks, and by the end she was skating on very thin ice. Jack brushed him off several times telling Kelly she could have what ever she wanted.

"Jenny," Jack said as he sipped his coffee, "How did my son manage to attract a lady such as yourself?"

"Dad," Jethro growled, dropping his knife in his still full plate out of frustration.

Jenny reached under the table to squeeze his knee gently. He looked at her and she smiled at him, winking she turned her attention back to Jack, "He was being a chauvinist and I wouldn't have any of it."

Jack smiled at her, his eyebrow raised sceptically. He could see right through her, and he could tell that she wasn't going to admit right in front of his son how she truly felt about him. He'd studied and interacted enough with people to know that what they felt was reciprocated by the other. He'd also seen the way the other's eyes would glisten when they spoke to each other.

"Well I better be off, Duncan needs to study, and I want to stop by Elise's place to let her know you're here." Jack stood from his chair, "Do you mind if I take Kelly with me?"

Kelly looked at her father excitedly, she could see he was contemplating saying no since she had pushed her luck earlier. Sliding off her chair she skipped to where he was sitting, throwing herself on his lap she looked up at him with pleading blue eyes.

"Please daddy? Please, please, please, please? I be good, I promise."

Jethro took a bite of his bacon, looking Kelly straight in the eye while he made her wait before he answered. "I hear one word that you misbehaved, it's going to be you and me young lady."

Kelly hugged him tightly, leaning up to kiss his cheek before sliding off his lap to take Jack's hand. The older man winked at her and waved at the other two leading his granddaughter to the front door, "I trust you two can sort the sleeping arrangements. Have fun now!" with that Jack closed the door behind him.

Jenny stared out the screen door that opened to the large backyard, sipping the sweet coffee Jack had insisted on making for her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had sugar in her coffee, probably just before her father had died.

Watching Jack and Kelly together made her think about her own father. The Colonel would have adored the little girl with her quirky questions and answers. Jethro often reminded her of her father, it's where she had learned that given enough time they started opening up after a while. She liked to think that the two men would have enjoyed each others company, but life wasn't that simple. If the Colonel had still been alive then she'd still be a lawyer, and she would have never dreamed of meeting someone like Jethro Gibbs.

Jethro watched as Jenny stared out the back door. He could remember his mother doing the same after she had found out she was sick, he'd always wondered what she thought about. He ate in silence content to watch Jenny as she sipped her coffee, she looked peaceful and he hated the thought of disturbing her, but he desperately wanted to ask her what she was thinking about.

Yoda whined, staring out the screen door at the large backyard. Jethro glared at the pup as he brought Jenny out of her quiet musing.

"Can I let him go out?" Jenny asked placing her empty cup on the table.

"Yeah, sure. He can burn off some energy." Jethro answered around his last bite of bacon and toast.

Jenny unclipped Yoda's harness and let him outside. The Terrier let out something between a snort and a bark as he shot to the nearest tree, seeing something between the branches.

Jenny took her seat again, raising her eyebrows as Jethro leaned back and placed a hand on his stomach squeezing his eyes shut. He looked extremely uncomfortable. "You have too much to eat?" Jenny couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice, she knew he had a large appetite but by the looks of things he had over done things.

Jethro groaned softly, not wanting to admit that she was right.

Jenny stood in the doorway, her duffel bag in one hand. The room was decorated in various shades of grey and white, diverting one's attention to the three large framed paintings. They all seemed to have a nautical theme in common. Jethro pushed past her, opening the large window to let fresh air in. She could see he was avoiding looking at the paintings or at her.

Walking closer to one of the paintings, she studied it closely. The paintings fascinated her, she didn't recognise the artwork as something she had seen before, and it looked like it was an original. Turning she saw Jethro stand around almost uncomfortably.

"Is it a local artist?" Jenny asked, already moving to the next painting.

"Yeah," Jethro sounded uneasy, "You can take this room, it has it's own bathroom. Kelly and I will be down the hall."

Jenny looked after him as he headed down the hall, she saw him hesitate before opening the door. His sudden need to get away from her threw her off. Dropping her bag at the foot of the bed she walked to the last painting. This one had a little more detail, with all the small fishing boats tied to a pier. She looked in the corners for a name, and in the right hand corner she found a name scrawled neatly in black paint.

Padding down the hall, Jenny stopped outside the last door, peaking around the corner.

It was clear that the room had once belonged to a teenage boy. There were posters on the walls, showcasing various muscle cars, cars that were now considered classics. There were various books on the bookshelf above the bed, most of the titles indicating that they were military. Jethro was sitting near the window staring out onto the street.

Jenny knocked on the door softly, not wanting to make him feel crowded, she'd give him his space if he wanted it. He turned to look at her slowly, his face void of any emotion. Jenny pursed her lips, turning away, knowing that he wanted to be alone.

"Jen," He called her back.

Her head popped around the door frame, "Yeah?"

"You can come in."

Jenny looked almost hesitant, but her curiosity made her give in. Taking a seat on the bed she looked around the room. The rest of the room was littered with posters of cars and one or two football stars. On one of the night stands was a football ball covered in a thin layer of dust.

Sinking down on the bed, she looked around the room one more time. She didn't know what she had expected when she had stepped into Jethro's childhood bedroom. In her mind she had thought he'd have posters of half naked women posing over motorcycles and on the hoods of cars, or maybe she had spent too much time around DiNozzo to be a judge on what a teenage boy's room should look like.

Facing Jethro, she noticed a picture frame in his hand. The image had faded over time but there was no doubt in her mind that it was his mother with him. He looked from her to the picture he was holding, he ran his thumb over it before passing it to her. Taking the picture, she studied it closely, noting the features the two of them shared.

"She's beautiful." Jenny said softly, running a finger over the woman in the picture.

"We named Kelly after her." Jethro was looking out of the window as he spoke, "Her first name was Kelly. She always went by her second name."

Jenny listened to him speak, she could hear him struggle at the end as he remembered his mother. Placing the photo on the small table she reached out and took his hand in hers. "Was she the one who encouraged you to paint such breathtaking landscapes?"

Jethro didn't look at her, instead he kept staring out the window. The blush that shot across the bridge of his nose and cheeks made her smile. For someone who oozed with confidence, Jethro was extremely modest – shy even – when someone gave him a compliment.

"I guess." Came his reply.

Leaving it at that, she decided to change the subject since he clearly didn't want to talk about it.

"You know, you can really take the other room. There's more space for you and Kelly, and not to mention the double bed." Jenny leaned back on the bed, leaning on her elbows.

Jethro moved to the edge of his chair, grabbing her waist and pulling her upright again. He kissed her gently, "Or," he grinned at her his eyes dancing, "You and I can share. After all we're just going to sleep."

Jenny pushed him away playfully, her laughter full of mirth, "I think you and I both know that's not going to happen." She leaned towards him again, running her hands through his cropped hair and resting them at the nape of his neck.

"Yeah? And why is that?" Jethro's eyes flicked to her mouth as she licked her lips.

Jethro's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he felt her breath in his ear, "Because I don't think I'll be able to keep my hands to myself."

Jethro groaned low in his throat, pushing her down on the bed he crawled over her. Nipping her bottom lip gently, he relished in the way she gasped in surprise. Her lips became pliable against his and he took advantage. Jenny's hands gripped his polo tightly, trying to pull him even closer to her as he rocked his hips against hers. Sliding a hand between them he found the buttons of her shirt.

Reality came crashing around her and Jenny pushed him off of her gently, she was breathing heavily. Jethro lay next to her equally out of breath. She laughed breathlessly as she looked at him, "See what I mean."

* * *

The bell jingled as the last customer left the store. Jack watched as Kelly skipped towards the counter, coming from where ever she had been keeping herself busy. He watched as she looked at all the jars lining the counter, enchanted by all the sweetness they held. He was more than confident in the fact that she had inherited her father's sweet tooth.

Jack made quick work of cashing out, a skill he'd acquired since owning the store. He kept a watchful eye on his granddaughter as she climbed onto one of the chairs at the table. She laid her head on the table as she hummed a song he was unfamiliar with.

"Are you tired?" Jack asked as he rounded the counter, his jacket along with Kelly's in one hand.

"No." Kelly betrayed herself when she let out a tired yawn, she blushed and hid her face in her arms.

Jack laughed and helped her off of the chair and into her jacket. Lifting her onto his hip he walked up to the various jars, "Pick whatever you want."

"I'm allergic to peanuts." Kelly filled him in, lifting her left wrist so he could inspect the pink bracelet that was always there. Jack nodded thoughtfully, silently ruling out the home-made peanut brittle.

"Would you like some chocolate fudge?"

Kelly nodded eagerly, her blue eyes lighting up. Jack placed her back on the floor and unscrewed one of the jars, holding it at Kelly's eye level so she could pick one. Once she had her treat she waisted no time in tasting it.

"Mmm, it tastes like the ones daddy make." Kelly said as she broke off another small piece of fudge and popped in her mouth. Wrapping an arm around his leg she hugged him, "Thank you, Papa Jack."

Jack smiled at her and kissed her forehead, ushering her towards the door. Kelly waited patiently for him to lock everything before they started down the street, enjoying the cool breeze that swept through the small town.

Kelly clutched her grandfather's hand tightly as she ate her fudge and looked at all the stores they passed, most of them starting to close early for the weekend. She studied the people with fascination as they greeted her grandfather as they passed them by. As they crossed the street she gripped Jack's hand even tighter, she relaxed as they stepped on to the side walk.

"Papa Jack?" Kelly enquired as they walked down the quiet street, her fudge long since finished.

"Yes, Kelly bear."

The toddler giggled at the nickname, "Are you really my daddy's daddy?"

"I sure am. Why do you ask?"

Kelly shrugged her shoulders, she narrowed her eyes and stopped, looking up at her grandfather, "I no think daddy was a little boy."

Jack laughed, shaking his head, he'd forgotten how strange children's minds tended to work. Ruffling her wild curls he hugged her to him. They continued down the street, enjoying the autumn sun before it disappeared. They stopped outside a small house, the lingering smell of fresh baked cookies wafting out the open kitchen window.

Walking up to the front door, Jack knocked and waited for someone to open it. Kelly leaned against his leg, fighting to keep her eyes open. Scooping her up he let her rest her head on his shoulder, she yawned but refused to close her eyes.

The door cracked open, revealing a relatively short woman. Her, still thick, shoulder length blond her teased and her light blue eyes warm and friendly. She smiled and blushed prettily at the sight of Jackson. Stepping aside she let him inside, watching the little girl who had hid her face from her with curiosity.

"Is this Jethro's little girl Kelly?" Elise asked as she closed the door and followed them into the kitchen.

"Nah, found her wandering around on the streets." Jackson smiled at her, his own blue eyes twinkling. Elise rolled her eyes at him.

Jack sat with Kelly on his knee, she was still awake but too shy to look at their hostess. Jack leaned down whispering in her ear, "I bet if you greet her she'll give you a cookie."

Kelly rested a hand against his shoulder, pushing herself upright to look at him, "Daddy say I no take something from someone I not know." she did her best to imitate her father, by creasing her brow in a scowl and lowering her voice.

"Well I know miss Hannigan, and she's a very good friend of mine." Jack looked over the little girl's shoulder at the woman across from him.

Kelly looked conflicted for a moment, not sure whether she should turn around or not. Huffing she moved around until she was facing the stranger. Her cheeks were flushed as she looked at the older woman shyly, giving her a small wave.

Elise waved back at her, hoping to calm her nerves a little. When Kelly broke eye contact and leaned against her grandfather, Elise dared to look up at him. "She looks just like him at that age, she even has his eyes." She'd been there for Jack when his wife had died and then when Jethro had decided to break all contact with his father. This visit was more than just making up for lost time, it was an attempt at fixing something that had been broken for far too long.

"How about a cookie and some milk?" Elise asked when the silence went on for too long between them.

Jack looked down at Kelly, but she was fast asleep, her fingers curled in his jacket. "I think we'll have to take her as a to-go."

Elise smiled and quickly grabbed a container filling them with cookies for Jack to take with him. Filling a large mug with coffee she placed it in front of him. Taking a seat across from him, she waited for him to start talking. It didn't take long before he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"He looks good, better than I expected." Jack adjusted Kelly to be more comfortable, "The woman he's with, Jenny, she seems like the kind of woman who can put him in his place." Jack fell silent, a far away look clouding his eyes. "She reminds me of Ann."

Elise smiled sadly, reaching out to rest her hand on his, lending him silent support.

"Her name," Elise said after a while, talking about Kelly, "it was sweet of them."

Jack looked down at Kelly stroking the little girl's thick curls, moving them out of her face. He rested a hand on the little girl's back gently, "He loved his mother too much, to not honour her in some way."

"I better be goin'." Jack struggled to his feet with Kelly asleep on his shoulder, "I'll send Jethro this way when the cookies are finished."

Elise smiled and opened the door for him, "I'll be on the look out."

The continues whining of the Boston Terrier was slowly starting to get on Jethro's nerves. He'd run out of chew toys to throw in order to distract him from the fact that Kelly wasn't there. Jenny was curled up next to him on the couch her nose buried in some trashy romance novel, and by the look of things she was too far away to hear anything going on around her.

The TV was playing in the background, the squeaky voices of the cartoon characters providing some sort of white noise, it was what he usually did when she wasn't home. Yoda yapped one last time before he decided to curl up in his basket, his head resting on the edge as he stared at the door. Jethro paged through the local newspaper, hoping to find something he hadn't read yet.

Folding the paper, he placed it on the coffee table and leaned back, resting his head on the back of the couch. Jethro's head lolled to the side, watching Jenny through lidded eyes as she read. His eyebrows rose in surprise, she had started a couple of hours ago and she was already in the middle of the book.

He observed her as she read, enjoying the various expressions that flickered over her features as she took in the words of the book. She'd smile slightly, close her eyes for a second and then continue to read. A few pages later she started to frown, clearly upset with a character in her book. He watched as she huffed and propped a hand under her chin, frowning.

The frown slowly ebbed away, the smile from earlier returning. Jethro wondered whether she knew he was watching her and was simply ignoring him, or if she was really that enthralled by the story. He knew that he should look away, and that what he was doing was probably considered creepy.

A slow blush was rising up her neck, making its way to her cheeks. Jethro smiled to himself, he found it endearing that a woman as confident as Jenny could blush so easily when the right thing was said. He was more than curious to know what exactly was happening to cause her to blush.

Jenny's eyes cut to his, and he knew it was too late to pretend he wasn't looking at her. He simply raised his eyebrows at her, not the least bit phased by the fact that he'd been caught staring. Her eyes flicked between him and the page she was currently on, and the blush that had coloured her cheeks intensified.

"What, Jethro?"

"Nothin'." He drawled, giving her a smirk.

Jenny shifted a little, turning so he couldn't see the words on the pages. It only made him more curious, shifting around he moved closer to her, leaning against her a little. When she looked at him he grinned at her again, "What ya readin', Jen?"

"A book." Came her sarcastic reply.

"What's it about?" He wasn't going to let her get away that easily. She was blushing and he wanted to know why.

"I doubt you'd like it, much less read it." Jenny retorted easily.

"I might surprise you." He was taking pleasure in the fact that he was starting to annoy her, which meant she was either going to tell him, or leave for the sanctuary of the back porch.

"I doubt it." Jenny had stopped reading, her book once again closed. The raised eyebrows she received was a clear indication that she had momentarily distracted him from his original question. If only it could stay that way.

"You saying I can't surprise you?" He sounded almost irritated, not with her but with himself. It wasn't a secret that he took pride in the fact that he could surprise people, and the thought that he was failing in that aspect with Jenny, was a low blow to the ego.

"That's not what I said." Jenny licked her lips slowly, placing the novel on the arm rest and moving closer to him, casually tangling her legs with his as they rested on the coffee table.

She placed a hand on his chest, toying with the buttons on his polo shirt, he was pissed off by her earlier comment and she was hoping to appease her slip of tongue. Jenny pressed closer to him, kissing along his jaw, feeling the tense muscles relax against her lips. He turned towards her, seeking out her lips. She smiled to herself as he deepened their kiss, hoping she'd distracted him enough.

Jethro pulled away, breathing slightly heavier than usual, brushing his lips over Jenny's as he spoke, "What are you reading?"

"I always thought it was, what are you _wearing_." Jenny whispered in his ear.

Jethro growled low in his throat. Gripping her thighs, he grabbed her and pulled her underneath him, pinning her down on the couch. He laughed at her squeak of surprise. She didn't push him off of her, instead she placed her hands on his chest, slowly unbuttoning the three buttons on his polo.

"You really want to know what I was reading?" Jenny asked as she slipped her hand inside his shirt. Lightly running her fingers over his collarbone.

"It made you blush." He stated matter of factly.

Jenny rested her other hand on the back of his head, playing with his soft hair. Licking her lips again she contemplated telling him, "They were colouring."

It took him a moment to comprehend what she meant, and when it finally sunk in he stared at her almost in disgust.

"That's what you read?"

Jenny rolled her eyes, hooking her legs around Jethro's as he moved to get off of her. Sliding both hands down his back to rest on his hips, she held him in place, "You asked."

"Yeah, I wouldn't have if I knew that's what you were going to say." Jethro relaxed against her, enjoying the moment of closeness unconsciously.

"Is it because I referred to sex as colouring?" She had lied somewhat in the truck when he had first asked her. It was the first time she had heard of it being referred to as colouring, it was actually clever, and the opportunity to toy with him was too much to resist.

"Why does the analogy bother you so much?" She was curious why it made him so uncomfortable.

Jethro glared at her, not wanting to tell her, his demeanor only darkened when she laughed softly. Her hands where in his hair again, and he felt his resolve slip slowly. "I have a three-year-old daughter, Jen. Things will never be the same again."

Jenny laughed – really laughed – her whole body shook with laughter, much to Jethro's displeasure. He narrowed his eyes at her, "It's not funny, Jen."

Jenny schooled her features, giving her lover a warm smile. Cupping his cheek she tried not to laugh, "Yes Jethro it is." she bit her lower lip, "You do realise she's going to be a teenager and then an adult, right?"

The colour in his cheeks disappeared a little as the thought dawned on him, looking down at Jenny he met her gaze, "I'm gonna keep her locked in the house."

"Oh, Jethro." Jenny's hands slid out of his hair to cup his cheeks, her thumbs running over the soft skin of his cheeks. She'd learned more about him in the last three hours than she had over the last six months. She knew he was joking, but there had been a brief flicker of fear in his eyes that Kelly would grow up and not need him any more. Jenny desperately wanted to reassure him that she would still need him – she knew from experience – but she didn't want him to start asking questions about her father.

Yoda sat up in his basket, his bat-like ears still a little floppy as he pulled them back to listen. The pup whined before starting to bark again, it wasn't long before there where footsteps on the front porch. Yoda shot out of his basket, barking happily.

Jethro moved off of Jenny, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she stood with him.

Yoda was sniffing around Jackson's feet, looking for Kelly. He ran back to the living room barking, before shooting back to the foyer, whining up at Jack.

"Yoda!" Jethro snapped at the pup, irritated with the dog's sudden need to whine and bark.

"Leave him, Leroy." Jack closed the door behind him with difficulty.

Jethro appeared around the corner, cups in hand with Jenny right behind him. He quickly passed the two cups to Jenny to help his father. Taking Kelly off his father's hands he cradled her in his arms, smiling when he saw the chocolate smears on the corners of her mouth.

"What's in the container?" Jethro reached to open the lid, but Jack smacked his hand away.

"Elise sent this over for all of us, not just you." Jack scolded his son, causing Jenny to stifle a laugh.

Jackson smiled at the redhead, holding out his arm for her to join him. Jethro watched as they disappeared down the hall to the kitchen, shaking his head he looked down at his daughter who was still fast asleep. He wondered how much sweets his father had fed her, and if the sugar rush was going to kick in after her nap or before she had to go to bed.

Jenny sat curled up on one of the wooden chairs on the back porch, her bare feet tucked underneath her trying to keep them warm. It was peacefully quiet, something she wasn't used to, her Georgetown mansion was quiet but not in a welcoming way. Nothing had been the same after her father had died, her dream of being a lawyer had died along with him.

Things had changed over the last three years, and it felt like they were starting to change again. It was disconcerting that a man and his little girl could make her lose sight of what she had originally set out to do. She had tried to track down the man responsible for her father's death during her and Jethro's short break, but she had found herself more concerned about Kelly and whether she was going to be all right.

She had pacified her lack of motivation as simply needing a little time to herself to be her. She'd spent the better part of the last three years undercover pretending to be someone she wasn't. Leon had told her to take a break for a year, even if it was just to get her to refocus. There was no way she was going to admit that her lack of motivation was due to her feelings starting to run deeper for one, Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

The screen door banged loudly, drawing her out of her musing. Jack held out a steaming cup of Chai tee, she could recognise that aroma anywhere. The first time she'd tasted the unique flavour of the spiced tee had been in Prague, the coffee shop had been tucked in a residential area she just happened to pass.

They sat in companionable silence, listening to the crickets as they started coming out. Jenny sipped her tee, savouring the taste. Tracing the patterns engraved in the chairs armrest, she looked off into the distance.

"Leroy built these chairs when he was sixteen. He sold a few to make some money to fix up the old Dodge Challenger he'd bought." Jackson spoke, not looking at his companion but staring at the old shed off in the distance.

"Did he ever finish it?" Jenny asked curiously.

"Nah, he never made enough money." Jackson sipped his tee.

Jenny smiled softly at the older man when he looked at her, there was an all too familiar twinkle in his eyes, "Maybe one day he'll have the opportunity to drive one."

It was a rather open ended statement, Jenny raised her eyebrow at him sceptically not sure whether she should trust the look in his eyes. Leaving the subject at that she continued to drink her tee and make small talk with the old man. She'd given up wondering where Jethro was a while ago, she had a feeling he had joined Kelly for a nap.

"Was your father in the military?" The question caught her off guard and she almost choked on her tee. She coughed a little.

"Uhm, yes. My father was an Amy Colonel. Why do you ask?" Jenny avoided looking at Jack, not wanting him to probe any more.

"Just curious." Jack smiled at her, his blue eyes warm. "I was in the Army Air force. I was a pilot during World War Two." He had sensed Jenny's reluctance to talk, something he was used to with his own son.

Jenny looked at Jack appreciating his effort to make her feel more at ease and not asking any further about her father, "Why did Jethro join the Marine Corps?" it seemed strange since his father had been in the Army.

Jackson clenched his jaw tightly, a dark look clouding his features. He ignored her question not wanting to talk about it.

Jenny placed her cup on the small table next to her, thrown off by Jack's sudden change. Reaching out she placed her hand over the older man's, when he looked at her she smiled at him apologetically, "Sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to open old wounds."

He smiled at her, although it didn't reach his eyes like it usually did. He shook his head, patting her hand softly. Silence descended over them again and it stayed that way until the sun had set.

There was an array of clothing strewn over the large double bed in the spare bedroom. Jenny looked over the outfits on display, trying to find something that was warm enough to go out in. Kelly was in her arms, wrapped in a fluffy pink towel, still fresh from her bath. Dressing a toddler wasn't one of her strong suits.

"What do you think Kelly? Jeans and a jacket, or jeans and a sweater?" Jenny looked at the little girl as she contemplated her choices.

"Jacket!" Jenny nodded her agreement.

Getting a toddler dressed was more challenging than she had thought, or it was the fact that Kelly had woken up with a whole lot of energy. First she had struggled to get Kelly to put on her jeans, the little girl had decided that running around the large room in just her underwear was far more entertaining than getting dressed.

When she'd finally convinced Kelly that getting dressed was a better option than having to call her father, they were finally ready. Kelly was sitting on the bed, kicking her legs while Jenny looked around for her sneakers.

Jenny heard the shower down the hall being turned off and she knew it was a matter of minutes before Jethro appeared fully dressed and ready, and she wasn't going to admit that she'd struggled with getting Kelly dressed. Finding the well-worn pair of _All Star_ sneakers she quickly helped Kelly pull them on and tied them securely.

Before she knew it Kelly was off the bed and had opened the door. She shook her head, smiling as she heard the thump of small footsteps down the stairs. Turning back to her bed, she folded the second set of clothing neatly, making sure they didn't wrinkle too much. The bathroom door opened and she could hear Jethro's heavy footsteps as he walked back to his room.

Placing the folded clothes back in the duffel bag, she zipped it closed and sat on the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath. The patience it took to stay calm and convince Kelly to get dressed was more exhausting than she had thought it would be.

Jethro silently walked down the hall to the guest bedroom, watching as Jenny sank down on the bed. Leaning against the door frame, he watched her pull on the pair of black high heels – appreciating the way she looked in tight fitting jeans, a dark red sweater and black heels. Her hair was falling down her back in large curls and he felt like running his hands through her hair.

"You look nice." He hated how hoarse his voice sounded in his own ears.

"You don't look so bad either." Jenny switched off the small lamp and made her way to the door where Jethro was leaning casually.

"Kelly give you any trouble?" There was an unmistakable gleam in his eyes.

Jenny pulled her fingers trough her hair, a coy smile on her face, "No, no trouble at all." There was no chance in hell that she was going to admit that it had taken her the better half of an hour to dress the little girl.

"Uh-huh."

Kelly was running around the living room with Yoda hot on her heels as he chased after her, Jack was watching them contentedly from where he rested in his recliner. Kelly's jacket lay discarded on the couch, all the activity making her tiny body overheat. She came to an abrupt stop when she spotted her father in the doorway, glaring.

"Kelly," he growled as he took in her state of disarray, "calm down."

Kelly's face fell a little, but obeyed none the less. Jethro shook his head and turned to his father, "Dad, you ready?"

Jackson nodded, scooting forward in his seat and slipping his feet into his loafers. He glared at Jethro's offered hand as he struggled to his feet. Giving him a distasteful look when he didn't back away he walked to the door, opening it, "Well, are we going?"

The small booth they'd managed to find was situated a few booths away from the door, giving everyone a perfect view of who had decided to drop by for a visit. Most of the locals had greeted them but they had kindly left them alone. The more people piled into the small diner, the less people took notice of them.

Jenny could feel Jethro grow increasingly tense next to her, she didn't know if it was due to all the whispering that floated past them as people moved to and fro, or that he was just anxious to get away from prying eyes. She tried to listen to Kelly as she regaled them with what she had been up to while helping her grandfather at the store.

The little girl had finally settled down, and they had made sure that all the sugary treats were kept away. Jenny felt the tension between the two Gibbs men grow, they had been civil towards each other the few hours they had spent together. Kelly had been oblivious to what was going on and had defused the tense atmosphere on more than one occasion, the same way she did now.

Jethro's hand lay idly on her thigh as he watched Kelly across from him, listening to her every word. He occasionally squeezed her thigh when silence fell over them, quietly asking her to say something to save him from having to talk.

"Daddy, can I has ice cream?" Kelly asked as she finished the last slice of her kiddies pizza. Jenny smiled at the little girl. She'd noticed Kelly's sentence structure had improved, but when she started becoming drowsy it was downhill from there and sometimes impossible to hear what she said.

"No, you've had enough sugar for one day." The tone Jethro used left no room for argument. Kelly's shoulders fell in disappointment.

"What could it hurt, Leroy?" Jack piped up, winking at his granddaughter.

"Dad, I said no, she's had enough." Jethro snapped irately.

"Oh, Leroy, it's just ice cream." Jack snapped back at him, glaring at his son from across the table.

"You're not the one who's gonna have to stay up to calm her down enough to get into her pyjamas. I said no ice cream and leave it at that." Jethro all but growled at his father.

"Who's faults that, huh?" You never called you never made an effort to visit, so I've missed three years of who my granddaughter really is." Jack voice rose as his anger flared.

Kelly was looking between the two men, her lower lip quivering her blue eyes large and full of tears. She turned to look at her father, "I no want ice cream any more."

Jenny felt her heartbreak at the sad look that crossed the little girl's face. Reaching out she clasped the little girl's hand. Making her look at her, she smiled at her warmly and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. Kelly gave her a shaky smile before sliding of her seat and disappearing underneath the table. A moment later she popped up next to Jenny.

Lifting the toddler onto her lap, she brushed away the few stray curls that had managed to escape. Kissing her forehead soothingly she looked at Kelly closely, "We can come get some ice cream tomorrow, okay honey?"

Kelly nodded as she buried her head in the crook of Jenny's neck, her small chubby fingers reaching for the loose strands of red hair.

Jethro was bristling were he sat, still glaring at his father. He'd fought the urge to snarl back at his father, they'd attracted the attention of the people around them, and they also happened to know him and the situation surrounding him. He'd listened to Jenny as she talked softly to Kelly.

When he tried to butt into their conversation she shot him an angry look, and he could see she was upset about the fact that he and Jack had upset Kelly. He wisely kept his mouth shut, he didn't need to have her upset with him as well.

Jethro's hand still rested on Jenny's thigh, taking comfort from the fact that she was there. He took it as a good sign when she placed her hand on his and laced her fingers with his. Looking anywhere but at his father, he stared at the door, watching people stumble in and out of the diner. Turning back to Jenny, he rested his free hand on Kelly's knee, trying to give her a smile when she looked up. He could feel the hurt slice through him when she didn't return his smile, and the anger towards his father intensified.

"We should leave." Jethro signalled the young woman who'd helped them for the bill. Sliding out of the booth he helped Jenny to her feet, meeting her gentle emerald eyes.

The young lady pushed through the large crowd, fending off the unwelcoming attention from some of the men. She gave Jethro an apologetic smile as she handed him the bill.

Jethro looked the young girl over as she waited for him to pay their bill. There was something familiar about the young girl's features that he just couldn't place, "What did you say your name was again?"

"April, April Jones." She said almost nervously.

"Jones," Jethro muttered to himself as he looked through his wallet, "You wouldn't happen to be Patty's daughter?"

"Wait, how did you know that?" April looked at him with wide eyes.

"My wife," Jethro trailed off, gritting his teeth slightly, his eyes travelling to where Jenny was standing waiting for him, "my late wife, and your mother were best friends in high school."

The light bulb went off in the woman's head and she smiled at him in recognition, "You were the marine that surprised aunt Shannon that one Christmas."

Jethro smiled as he handed her the money, leaving a more than generous tip. He moved to where Jenny was standing waiting for him. They managed their way through the large crowd that had gathered, he glared at the men staring at Jenny as they made it to the door.

Stepping into the cool air he saw his father waiting near the truck. Wrapping an arm around Jenny's waist he lead her to the truck, slowing their steps a little. He dreaded the idea of being cooped up with his father for the rest of the weekend.

Jenny had fled upstairs before all hell broke loose between the two men. Kelly was still awake and she didn't want a repeat of what had happened during dinner. She looked through the small duffel bag for the familiar pair of blue pyjamas. Jenny pulled out the aged _Peter Pan_ novel along with the pyjamas, Kelly took the clothes from her and started getting ready for bed.

Jenny toed off her heels to settle next to Kelly on the bed. She opened the book where the bookmark was and continued reading the all too familiar tale. It wasn't long before Kelly had drifted off, Jenny kept reading preferring to lose herself in the tale and the bitter-sweet memories it brought back.

Closing the book, she looked it over. It was definitely older than her copy at home. Opening the book to look at the date it had been published, she felt her throat constrict and found it hard to swallow. There was a beautifully scripted message on the inside of the cover.

 _To my brave boy:_

 _No matter what happens tomorrow, always remember to believe._

 _Love_

 _Mommy_

Jenny closed the book, placing it on the night stand. She fought back the tears that threatened to slip, it was unfair that Jethro had to suffer such heartache in his life. He'd told her briefly that he'd lost his mother to cancer when he was fourteen and had said nothing more.

Kelly mumbled in her sleep reaching for the turtle and grey bear that was tucked in with her. Jenny brushed a hand through the little girls hair, kissing her forehead she grabbed her heels and padded down the hall to her bedroom. As she passed the stairs she saw Jethro storm up them, his cheeks slightly flushed with irritation.

She continued to her room, knowing there was no point in talking to him when he was angry.

His heavy footsteps faded as he made his way to his room. Jenny closed her door, sighing deeply, it was too early to try and fall asleep but the atmosphere downstairs was too tense for her liking. Quickly changing out of the jeans and sweater, she slipped into the oversized _Marine_ t-shirt – that belonged to her blue-eyed lover – and a pair of sweatpants.

She'd just picked up her book when there was a knock on the door.

Whoever was on the other side didn't wait for an answer, the door cracked open and a familiar dark head of hair popped around the door. Seeing that she was at least decent, Jethro slipped inside and closed the door behind him. Making his way to the bed, he sank down next to her, stretching out lazily. He'd seen Jenny head to her room and had swapped his sticky clothes for a pair sweatpants and his other _Marine_ t-shirt.

Placing the book back down, Jenny scooted down turning on her side and propping herself up on her elbow. Reaching out, Jenny ran her hands through Jethro's hair, enjoying how soft his hair was. His eyelids had drifted shut, his brow slightly creased. Jenny's nails pricked his scalp lightly, sending goosebumps to breakout over his skin.

"Headache?" Jenny asked softly, knowing the look on his face anywhere.

"Yeah." Jethro grumbled.

Jenny shook her head. Sitting up again she shifted backwards until she leaned against the headboard, watching as Jethro frowned even more. "It's because you get worked up so quickly." His eyes snapped open to glare at her. She raised her eyebrows at him before his eyes fell shut again.

Jethro was content to just lay down for a while until the headache passed, but the gentle tap on his shoulder suggested otherwise. Cracking an eye open, he glared at his lover again, "What, Jen?"

"Put your head on my lap." Jenny said nonchalantly stretching her legs out in front of her.

"Excuse me?" There was amusement in his voice as he repositioned himself, his head resting against Jenny's thighs.

She didn't answer him. Running her hands through his hair one last time her fingers trailed over his creased brow, his eyes were shut once again. Her strong slender fingers pressed against his temples, massaging the tense muscles she found. Jethro relaxed under her touch, clearly enjoying the attention.

"Did Kelly fight you when you tucked her in?" Jethro asked after a while his eyes still shut.

"Nope, she was just a little too quiet. I guess she's had a long day." Jenny ran her thumbs over Jethro's cheeks tenderly before continuing with the massage. She didn't want to tell him that his fight with his father over dinner had upset the little girl.

"I shouldn't have snapped at my dad like that in front of her." The silent admission was a rare occurrence coming from Jethro. "He just can't take _no_ for an answer sometimes."

Jenny smiled at him when he opened his eyes to look at her, "I'm sure he's just doing what grandfathers usually do." Closing his eyes, he just shrugged his shoulders. "If it were my dad, he would have sneaked her ice cream regardless of the amount of sugar she'd had for the day."

Jenny bit her tongue painfully hard. She hadn't meant for the comment to slip out, she was thankful that Jethro's eyes were closed so he couldn't see the panicked look on her face. He was too caught up in his own thoughts to enquire any further on her comment.

"Yeah, but..." Jethro growled, "He just gets on my nerves."

Jenny laughed at him, "You remember that when Kelly's our age." the grimace on his face made her laugh again.

Leaning down she pressed a soothing kiss to his forehead. Jethro shifted around and stretched out next to her again, his head rolled from side to side on the pillow, trying to get comfortable.

"You're making a mistake if you think you can sleep here." Jenny growled at him as he seemed to relax a little too much next to her. She was aware that she sounded uptight, but she knew that if they were to have a more intimate relationship things would change between them. She would have to admit, even just to herself, that she was scared to go that far with him because if the situation demanded that she had to walk away – she wouldn't be able to do it.

Jethro glared at her. Knowing she'd be on his case if he continued laying next to her, he sat up and propped himself up against the headboard. They were silent for a moment, one staring at the ceiling the other at the door. He wanted to ask her if she had ever slept with someone since she was so paranoid that he'd disregard her request of waiting, but he knew she'd most likely kill him for asking such a question.

"I'm not sleepin' here." He assured her.

Jenny seemed to relax, leaning closer to her he pressed a kiss to her cheek. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear he kissed the soft skin below it, "When we get back to DC." he kissed the spot again, "Wanna have dinner with me? Just the two of us."

"If you insist." Her eyes were closed as he placed small butterfly kisses along her jaw.

"I do." He mumbled against her lips.

* * *

Jack watched his son from a distance as he moved around the old shed. Jenny had taken Kelly for ice cream and had given him a rather pointed look when he'd offered to go with them. It was the first time it dawned on him that she was the reason Jethro had decided to visit. If things worked out between him and his son he'd have to thank her.

Jack made his way into the shed, heading for the stool near his workbench. It was getting harder to stay on his feet for so long without pain pulsing up and down his legs. He saw Jethro look over his shoulder briefly to see who had joined him, glaring slightly he turned back to rummaging through one of the many boxes.

"What ya lookin' for, Leroy?" Jack asked conversationally.

"Where's Jen and Kelly?" Jethro still had his back to his father. Moving to the next box he plopped down on a saw-horse.

"Ice cream." Jack sounded almost hostile.

Jethro sighed, shaking his head – he should have known Jenny would find a way to make them talk to each other. Ignoring his father, he looked through the box, finding nothing but old empty tins that his mother had collected over the years. Closing it, he moved to the next one.

"If you tell me what it is you're looking for I might be able to help." Jack piped up again, having seen the irritation his son had shown when he closed the box.

"What did you do with my car?" The anger was unmistakable as Jethro finally faced Jack.

"I can't hold on to all your junk." There was humour in Jackson's voice as he regarded his son's inquiry.

"No, just your junk." Jethro ground out as he picked up another box. Unfolding the lid he found old trophies and medals he'd won while in school.

The two men were silent again, each caught up in their own thoughts. Jethro shuffled through the boxes, opening each one to look through them. Jack was silently observing him, trying to find the right words to express himself.

"What did I ever do to you?" There was no accusation in the question, just a simple plea for forgiveness. Jack saw his son stiffen at the question.

Jethro stopped what he was doing, his dusty hands going to is hips. He pulled his face in slight concentration, his eyes squinting at the wall where the sunlight shone through the cracks in the wood. For a while he ignored his father again, as if he hadn't asked him anything. He saw his daughter's face when he closed his eyes and the sadness in her blue eyes when she saw them fight.

"How about, showing up with a date at my wife's funeral." The statement dripped with hatred and pain.

"That's your excuse for the last three years. What about before that, when you decided to skip town?"

"I didn't skip town," Jethro ground his teeth together, the sound echoing in his ears, "I joined the Core. I served my country."

"Yes, you did, and I'm proud of you son." Jack swallowed heavily, "But this isn't about that. I saw the look in your eyes after your mother died, you were angry that I was getting on with my life."

"Dad-" Jackson held up his hand.

"Let me finish." Jack gave his son a warning look, "I can only try and understand the grief you felt when your mother died. But there was no point in holding onto the past." Jack took a deep breath, "When you've felt love so intense and pure, you'd give anything to experience it again."

"There was a look of vengeance in your eyes as well." Jack continued, fighting the emotions the conversation was bringing to the surface. "Now that look disappeared when you met Shannon, but it returned quickly after she died."

Jethro snapped, "My wife was murdered!" he swallowed, "Mom was sick, and we knew she didn't have long. My wife..." Jethro let out a shuddering breath, "my Shannon was killed. There ain't no explanation that can justify that."

Jackson had abandoned his seat, making his way to where his son stood. He'd seen the pain flash in his son's eyes, and talking about Shannon had been too much for him to be able to hide how much he still hurt. Jack placed a hand on his son's shoulder comfortingly, watching as the muscles in jaw rippled as he clenched his teeth.

"What do you see now?" Jethro asked quietly after he'd reigned in his anger.

Jack smiled at him, "Love, adoration, joy and it's all thanks to that little girl of yours. If it hadn't been for her I doubt you'd still be the man you'd been when you left town."

Jethro smiled at his father.

"And I've seen the way you look at Jenny, and how she looks at you. You'd be a fool to let her slip through your fingers."

Jethro opened his mouth to say something, but Jack simply held up his hand, indicating that he didn't want to hear about it. They looked at each other and hesitantly reached out to give the other a hug. Jack pulled his son close, holding him tightly and trying to fight the tears that threatened to fall.

"Now, what was it you said you were looking for?"

"A chisel." Jethro said as he picked up yet another box.

Jack frowned slightly, "Which one?"

"The one grandpa gave me." Jethro said distractedly as he opened the box.

"It's in the house." Jack said after a moment a smile on his face when Jethro glared at him slightly. "What do you want to use it for?"

"My boat." Jethro answered as he followed his father out of the shed and started sliding the doors shut.

"You building one from scratch with hand tools?" Jack asked as they made their way back to the house. All he received was a nod.

"Where are you building it?"

"In my basement."

Jack stopped watching his son disappear into the house. He looked up towards the heavens, "He'll never change."

They were all seated outside, enjoying their last night together. Kelly was relatively calmer than the night before, thanks to her lower intake of sugar. The little girl was seated in her grandfather's lap on the lawn, staring up at the bright stars above them, listening to his every word as he told her one of his many fables.

Yoda was prancing around the yard energetically, sniffing through the grass to find the crickets that were annoying him. He looked up when he heard a familiar whistle and ran back to where his master was sitting on the porch steps. Obeying the command to sit, he snorted in excitement when he was given a large bone as a reward.

Jethro was thankful for the conversation he'd had with his father, it had soothed wounds that had been open for too long. They'd had the whole early afternoon to themselves, only to discover that Jenny had decided to go on a shopping spree while in the small town, returning with all sorts of unnecessary things.

Jethro watched as Kelly held onto her grandfather tightly, and he shuddered thinking about the tears when they would had to say goodbye tomorrow. Dismissing the thought he listened as his father told his story, one he'd heard countless times as a child.

He felt her behind him, watching them. Twisting around he saw the glazed look in her eyes, one he'd seen more than once during their stay in Stillwater. Motioning for her to join them, Jethro shifted so Jenny could sit between his legs since the steps were so small.

Jenny sank down on the step, leaning back against Jethro as she listened to Jack's raspy voice as he spoke. Jethro wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him, she relaxed and enjoyed the moment.

She didn't want to go back to DC, to where dark and painful memories were waiting for her. The small town and its people had charmed her. Jethro rested his chin on her shoulder, kissing her cheek. She realised that this was what she so desperately wanted in her life, to feel the contentment that only the people who cared could offer.

But she wasn't sure whether that was meant for her.

* * *

 _I would have liked to add more Kelly and Jack moments, but I ran out of time. This isn't my best work, but I hope to improve on the next one._

 _That's all for this chapter folks, thanks for reading. Feedback is much appreciated. :)_


	11. Of movies and emergency rooms

_**Disclaimer:** _I don't own anything you recognize._ _Except for the mistakes those are mine.__

 ** _A/N_** **:** _You naughty readers, I know you've been waiting for the smut and behold I finally give it to you. So kiddies turn the other way this isn't for you. Being the nice person that I am I've clearly_ _separated_ _the smut from the story for you kids with a double line break. The rest of you don't go skipping to the good part,_ _there are a few things that you'll need to know for the future._ _Thanks for the previous reviews_

 ** _Warning_** **:** _It's_ _a_ _little corny, but it works._ _Rated_ _M_ _, for some fun._

 _The obscure colouring movie reference in Chapter 10 was from 'Sex in the City 2'._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

It was too early to be at work, especially given the fact that Gibbs had been riding everyone's bumper for the last five days to get the double homicide solved, but Anthony DiNozzo was willing to bet it was due to the fact that his Sunday plans back home had been interrupted.

He'd drawn the short straw of picking Gibbs up to go to their crime scene just as they pulled into the drive way. It had been with great difficulty that he had turned around when his boss had kissed the lady boss goodbye, after all he did value his life more.

Watching the red numbers indicate the floors as he rode the elevator up, he yawned loudly not bothering to put his hand in front of his mouth. He'd actually gone to bed at a decent hour, but there was something about waking up too early that made him more tired than usual. The silver doors slid open and he glared at the empty squad room.

There was a light burning in the bullpen, and he felt a sudden joy flood him at the thought of nagging Kate the whole day for letting her lamp burn through the night. His mood was squashed when he saw the familiar brunette's head bent, already writing her report. He glared at her.

Tony made a big show of flopping down in his chair, having a silent argument with himself about the fact that he was at work before sunrise. Kate looked at him briefly before returning to her report. "Did you even go home last night?" He asked sounding almost disgusted with her.

"Yeah, I got in at three." Kate didn't look up from her paperwork as she replied.

"You don't have a life, Kate." Tony grumbled as he switched on his own desk lamp.

Kate rolled her eyes at him and continued with her After-action report. Tony pouted slightly when she didn't snap at him. Switching on his computer monitors he watched as they flickered to life and cast an eerie blue hue over his face. He looked up at the _Troll Doll_ on top of his monitor staring at him with its large black painted eyes.

Why did he have to be in so early? Movement near the elevator caught his attention. Abby and McProbie came into view, happily chatting about some band Tony had never heard of. His eyes snapped to Kate's bent head.

"Did you know Probie was here?"

"Yeah, he was here before I got here. I don't think he actually left last night."

"McKiss-ass," Tony mumbled as McGee walked past his desk.

Abby was still standing at the entrance, as bouncy as ever, looking at all of them with excitement. Tony looked at her sceptically, a frown creasing his brow, "Why are you so happy?"

Abby whirled on him, stalking up to his desk, her black parasol pointed dangerously towards him. Tony swallowed heavily, looking at his co-workers for backup if she decided to snap and get rid of him. He relaxed when Abby's hands dropped to rest on her hips.

"Because, Tony, it's Friday which means the bowling championship is this weekend and the nuns and I are bringing our _A-_ game to this tournament." Abby smiled brightly before continuing, "And well because I heard from someone, who heard from someone in evidence, who heard it from a trusted source that they overheard Jenny telling Ducky about her date with Gibbs tonight.

Tony's mouth was slightly agape as he tried to process all the information given to him. He looked from Kate to McGee and back to Abby, it was clearly not news to them by the looks on their faces. "How trust worthy is this source of yours?"

"Very trustworthy." Abby looked at him seriously.

"I even heard that Gibbs was going to take Jenny dancing." McGee added as he looked up from writing his report.

Everyone looked at him at once, each raising a questionable eyebrow at him. He looked at them slightly offended, "Hey! I have source too, sources that are much more reliable than yours since I don't gossip."

"Yeah sure McChitchat," Tony rolled his eyes, "who told you this?"

"Palmer." Tim said with a sigh.

"The Autopsy Gremlin," Tony looked at McGee with narrowed eyes, "that's genius McGee. He spends a lot of time around Ducky so he's bound to hear something we wouldn't."

Abby and Kate snickered softly, they knew who Jimmy's informant was and the M.E. assistant had been none the wiser when the Israeli had told him about their bosses going dancing. They had done it purely for entertainment, just to see Tony make a fool out of himself when he let it slip.

Kate shook her head as she made her way to the filing cabinet, "Come on DiNozzo, can you really picture Gibbs doing the _Macarena_?" she said with a laugh.

Tony had a far away look on his face, "No, but I can picture Jenny."

"You're a pig, Tony." Kate snapped at him, as she took a seat behind her desk again.

The back elevator dinged and everyone quieted down, terrified that their boss might appear around the corner. It wasn't long before the familiar NCIS-mail trolley came around the corner. Everyone relaxed at the sight of the young man as he pushed the trolley into the bullpen.

"Late night again?" He asked as he looked at the three agents with a smile, he was use to finding them in the bullpen when he made his rounds to deliver mail.

"Early morning." Tony piped up, eagerly waiting to get his own bundle of mail.

"Hey Abby." The young man smiled at her nervously.

"Hey Ben." Abby greeted him kindly, giving him a tight hug as he held out her mail.

McGee glared at Ben as he finished handing out their mail and pushed his trolley to the next bullpen. He watched him place another two bundles on Jenny and Ziva's desks before heading down the corridor. Tim spun his chair to face Abby, a slightly jealous look on his face, "You know him?"

"Yes, Timmy, he's very nice, to everyone. Well expect to people who use cosmetics and products tested on animals." Abby didn't look up from opening her mail.

"Why?" Tony stopped what he was doing.

"He's a vegan." Abby supplied once she finished reading the letter she'd received.

"Oh..." Tony raised his eyebrows knowingly.

"Well, I'll see you around, my babies need diagnostic tests before we get another major case." Abby waved at Kate before heading for the elevator.

Tony's face fell as he looked through his mail, all he had were a couple of bills and the monthly NCIS newsletter. Dumping most of the envelopes in the trash he leaned back in his chair, spinning from side to side for a while. The thought of starting his paperwork wasn't particularly entertaining.

Abandoning his seat he made his way to the adjoining bullpen. It was obvious who's desk was who's, Ziva's was bare save for the small flag indicating her nationality. He frowned when he saw that all her mail was in Hebrew script. Moving to the next desk he looked at the two photos on display, one was of Jenny amongst a group of women. The other was of her, Kelly and Yoda which looked like it could have been taken during their weekend away.

A sense of glee washed over him when he saw that her mail was in fact in English. Looking over the divider to make sure his co-workers weren't paying any attention, he took off the rubber band that held the stack of envelopes together.

They were mostly bills for rather expensive clothing stores, names that Tony DiNozzo knew off by heart since he wore most of the brands himself. He had to admit the woman had great taste in clothing, which made him wonder why she'd fall for someone like Gibbs – who quite frankly wore whatever looked acceptable.

Flipping through the rest of the envelopes he found one of serious interest. The stamp was definitely European, and by the looks of things, Italian to be exact. His eyes immediately flicked to the top left-hand corner.

 _Angela Bernardi._

The surname was no doubt Italian. His fingers itched to open it, to see what this woman had to say.

"McGee, isn't it a federal offence to open someone else's mail?" Kate asked casually, not once looking up from her work.

"You know what, Kate, it is." Tim gave her sly smile as they heard Tony mutter something, "You can get five years in prison." The two of them shared a smile as they heard Tony snap the rubber band back in place.

Tony stomped back into the bullpen, glaring at both McGee and Kate, "I'll have you know that I wasn't planning on opening it. And since the two of you think you're funny, I won't tell you who the letter was from."

"Fine by me." Tim typed away, not meeting the senior field agent's gaze.

"Yeah, I wasn't really curious either." Kate smiled at him sardonically.

Tony grit his teeth, hating them for not wanting to know something about Jenny's personal life. He wondered if Abby would be interested in his discovery, maybe she'd even offer to find out who Angela was. He knew better than to go down to the forensic lab, because he most probably wouldn't be coming back up in order to finish his work.

"I'm telling you anyway. Jenny got a letter from Italy, the senders name was Angela Bernardi." Tony blurted at his team mates excitedly.

"Yeah, and? Maybe it's an old friend from high school." Kate scowled at him.

"Then why send the letter to NCIS and not to Jenny's house?" Tony looked at her patronisingly, it was obvious that there was more to the letter.

"He's actually right. Why send a letter here if you know the home address." McGee piped up from his desk.

"Okay that's it. Tony, so what if she has friends in Italy, and Tim," Kate gave him strange look, "you have to stop reading so many comic books."

Tony snorted with laughter when McGee blushed and turned back to his computer screen. He bit his tongue, he didn't want to hear Kate drone on and on about other people's privacy. He just knew there was something about that letter. A _gut_ feeling if you will.

They weren't even halfway through their morning, and he had already been head slapped – twice. The first one was because he hadn't started his paperwork yet, thanks to McGee and Kate they made it look like he was slacking off on his work. The second was Ziva's fault, she had cornered him in the break room while he was getting something to drink and had forced him to tell her about what he saw Sunday when he went to pick up Gibbs. Little did he know that his boss was right around the corner listening.

Tony glared at Kate as she not so casually told the Mossad Officer that he had snooped around the office and had gone through her and Jenny's mail. What pissed him off even more was the laugh the Israeli let slip, the amusement dancing in her dark eyes.

He straightened in his chair as he saw the redhead step off the elevator, her fingers wrapped around a large Styrofoam cup. He shook his head at Kate as she went on to tell Ziva about what he had done. The rate at which his heartbeats quickened had him worried he might have a heart attack. He could see Jenny draw nearer as her partner laughed and he could hear Gibbs' boots as they thundered down the stairs leading from the catwalk.

Tony felt a bead of sweat roll down from his temple, running over his cheek and down his neck into his crisp _Gucci_ shirt. He grit his teeth and waited for either a heart attack or head slap to hit him first.

"What's so funny?" Jenny leaned against the divider near the entrance of the bullpen, looking a her partner with amusement.

Gibbs was across from Jenny, looking from her to Ziva, also waiting for an explanation.

"Tony went through our mail, and he has interesting theories."

The young Italian's eyes immediately cut to Jenny, knowing she'd make some smart remark that would take him a while to get. She was a good sport and she liked to toy with all of them on occasion, so he wasn't too worried, but his boss was right next to him and he was starting to fear for his life.

"You did what?!" Jenny practically yelled at him.

A hushed silence fell over the bullpen, everyone slightly taken aback by her reaction. Tony looked from Kate and Ziva to where Jenny was standing. His mouth opened and closed a few times, his friends had dropped him in hot water and he was struggling to get out.

Tony dared to look at Gibbs, and found that he too had been slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst, although he quickly masked his surprise.

"Jenny, I wasn't… I mean you know I-" he was cut off.

"It's fine Tony. I was out of line." Jenny gave him a tight smile before storming towards the back elevator.

There was a swift hard, not too hard, smack to the back of his head – making it three head slaps for the morning.

Jethro muttered at DiNozzo as he stomped after Jenny, "Nice goin', DiNozzo."

The silver doors were starting to slide shut just as he slipped his steel-toe boot between the closing doors. The elevator dinged as the doors slid open once again. Stepping inside he pressed the button to close the doors, and waited for the elevator to take them down to the first floor.

Jenny didn't look at him, she simply drank form her cup.

Jethro rolled his eyes and leaned forward, slapping the emergency switch almost violently. The fluorescent lights behind the metal railings flickered on, providing some illumination. He stepped back and rested against the back of the elevator waiting for Jenny to speak.

She didn't disappoint him, "Is there something you want, Jethro?"

Jethro shrugged his shoulders despite the fact that Jenny couldn't see him, "No, no not really. Unless there was something you weren't telling me."

"Good then there's nothing we have to talk about." Jenny reached out to set the metal box back in motion but she was pulled back slightly when Jethro gripped just above her elbow, turning her to face him.

"What happened in the bullpen, Jen? That wasn't like you to just snap at Tony." Jethro pried the now empty coffee cup from her hands, folding it in half and stuffing it in his jacket pocket.

Jenny pursed her lips slightly, crossing her arms and cocking her hip to the side.

"Did you receive bad news?" Jethro ran his hands up her arms, resting them on her shoulders and kneading the tense muscles.

Jenny shook her head, avoiding looking at him. She knew she had over reacted in the squad room, but the thought of someone finding out that she'd been receiving weekly letters from her mother did not bode well with her. Most of all she didn't want Jethro to find out that she had severed all contact with her mother, she never even opened the letters that were sent to her.

She knew he wouldn't hesitate in ripping her apart. After all she had been the one to pressure him into making contact with his father, but to her it was different than it was for him.

Her mother had abandoned her when she was eight, not bothering to contact her up until three years ago – almost four – just after her father had been killed. The Colonel had been everything to her, he had raised her, encouraged her to do great things – not her mother, she had decided to run off after some Italian who promised her a life she always dreamed of.

"No. I just had a bad start to my morning." She lied, it was the only thing she could think of doing. She wasn't ready to let him in on her past. There were skeletons in her closet that she didn't want anyone to see – especially not him.

Jethro simply narrowed his eyes at her, something was off, and he could have sworn he right eye had twitched or jumped he wasn't sure. He hadn't noticed it before when she was angry or upset, mainly because he was too busy yelling back at her. He left it at that, there was no point in ruining both their day and night because his curiosity got the better of him.

"You sure you're okay?" Jethro ran his hands down her shoulders and rested them on her hips.

"Jethro, I'm fine." She gave him a humourless laugh.

"Okay," He pulled her closer, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips.

Jenny pulled away, this time giving him a genuine smile before flicking the emergency switch again. The elevator stuttered into action and headed back up to the third floor.

Tony heard the familiar ding and buried his head in a file, not wanting to face Gibbs or Jenny. He had made it very clear to Kate that she was currently his least favourite person, and he had gone as far as to ignore her when she tried to apologise. He saw Jenny out of the corner of his eye as she made her way to his desk, he raised his eyebrows at what he was reading, hoping she'd go away if he ignored her as well.

When he felt her small hand on his, he looked up giving her one of his charming smiles.

"Tony, I am really sorry." Jenny spoke sincerely, it had been wrong of her to snap at him, but it had happened before she could think it through.

"Rule six, remember. It's a sign of weakness." He smiled at her again, hoping she wouldn't notice that it meant a lot that she had apologised.

"I always thought that saying you're sorry was a sign of strength, admitting you made a mistake." Jenny patted his hand before heading to her desk.

"You hear that boss?" Tony asked with a cheeky grin.

Jethro looked at him with narrowed eyes, "The hole you're in, DiNozzo," he pursed his lips slightly, "it just keeps getting deeper."

McGee snickered softly, but quickly schooled his features when Gibbs turned a glare towards him.

The day seemed to progress smoothly, after the slight fall out. The team had finished their reports just before lunch, and had decided unanimously that they would take an extra long lunch, dragging Ziva with them.

Jethro watched as the four agents piled into the elevator, already disagreeing on a restaurant. The doors closed on the loud discussion and left the squad room in relative silence. Jethro rested his face in his hands, sighing, he'd woken up with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Jenny's reaction this morning had made him wonder if that was cause for concern, but with the way the Director had called her up to MTAC had made him realise that she really was having a bad day. His stomach growled and he realised that he'd skipped breakfast in his haste to get an uncooperative Kelly dressed and fed before going to school.

Opening his second desk drawer he rummaged through its contents. There were several packets of gum amongst the various pencils and colouring books. It had been a while since Kelly was at the office, so the usual stash of snack hadn't been replaced since the last time she was around. Jethro slammed the drawer shut, grabbing his coffee cup and taking a long drink.

Looking at the stack of reports resting on the corner of his desk, he silently cursed his team for finally deciding to get some work done and handing in their reports all at once. Grabbing the top manila folder he flipped it open, seeing Kate's name he immediately signed off on it. He wasn't as lenient with DiNozzo or McGee.

Tony tended to forget certain details in his reports, mainly because he rushed half of it because he was behind. Tim over explained certain protocols to the point where it got too frustrating to even continue reading the report.

The elevator dinged, but Jethro didn't pay much attention, he was more focused on working through the reports in order to get away a little earlier than usual.

Joann scanned the squad room, hoping that Jethro would be at his desk and not somewhere in the building. She took a hesitant step towards the bullpen, she felt a little unsure since his team was nowhere to be seen. Rounding the corner of the bullpen she saw him pouring over paperwork. She felt bad for having to ruin his day but there wasn't much she could do about it.

"Jethro," Joann smiled at him as he looked up, surprised to see her in front of him.

"What's wrong? Is it Kelly?"

"No she's fine, she's still at school."

Jethro relaxed slightly, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest, "So what's wrong, why the personal visit?"

Joann pursed her lips slightly, "I have to go to Baltimore tonight."

Jethro narrowed his eyes and bit the tip of his tongue, nodding his head, "Yeah okay, it's fine, I'll pick Kelly up early enough so you won't have to leave too late." he didn't give her a second glance, he simply returned to his work, trying to figure out a way to tell Jenny that he'd have to cancel.

"Jethro, I didn't want to ruin your plans for tonight, but this is an emergency." Joann looked at him sincerely.

"Joann, it's fine, I'll think of something. I'll pick Kel up at around four, don't worry." Jethro gave her a brief smile.

Jethro closed the file and stood, walking with Joann to the elevator. He waved her off when she tried to apologise. He stared at his reflection in the metal doors for a while, his mind whirling in circles. Draining his cup of coffee, he made his way to the back elevator.

The second floor hallway was filled with music as usual, the door to the forensic lab wide open allowing the noise to spill out to the rest of the floor. Abby moved with the beat, glaring at the ten mixed match pins stacked in a triangle. She lifted the plastic bowling ball to her face, blowing over it for good luck. Taking a few steps she released the black plastic ball, sending all ten pins flying.

"Yes!" Abby shouted, her voice rising above the music currently playing.

Abby froze, her arms still in the air. Someone was watching her she could feel it, spinning on her high platform boots, she came face to face with Gibbs. A small smile graced her dark lips as she turned the music down.

"Hey, Gibbs. What brings you down to the labby? Do I still owe you a report? Because I gave it to Timmy, and told him that if he loses it again I'll strangle him." Abby said curiously, already setting up her pins once again.

"No," Gibbs drawled, stepping aside so she could take another shot at the pins.

All ten pins toppled over again and she bounced up and down with excitement, giving Gibbs a tight hug.

"So what can I do for you, Gibbs?"

It was only then that it dawned on him that Abby had her big bowling championship tonight. He grit his teeth painfully hard. It wouldn't be fair of him to ask her to watch Kelly for a couple of hours and leave her big game. He shook his head at her, "No, it's nothing. It can wait." he didn't dare mention anything to her, because she would drop everything and help him.

"You sure, Gibbs?" Abby asked with concern, placing her plastic ball on her workbench and walking to where he was standing.

"Yeah," He smiled at her and kissed her cheek, "You knock 'em dead tonight, Abs."

Jethro stepped into the elevator, his stomach was in knots and he didn't know why. It got worse after he'd seen Joann off, he should have known his plans would blow up in his face. He knew that he couldn't ask his team to offer up their Friday night just so he could have a night on the town for a while. Joann was usually kind enough to look after Kelly for a couple of hours, but she had a life as well.

He was against babysitters, they were people he didn't know or trust and he'd never leave his child with a stranger. It was one of the main reasons he'd sworn off going on dates, his companion usually didn't understand his dilemma of leaving his daughter with someone. He'd much rather share take-out with his little girl than trying to impress some woman.

The sound of his teams bickering in the bullpen made him sigh, he didn't have energy for this today. They were all seated around Tony's desk which housed various take-out bags. They acknowledged him silently as he sat behind his desk again. Ziva made eye contact with him as he looked inside the paper bag on his desk, giving him a smile when he inclined his head towards her in thanks.

A tall Styrofoam cup appeared in front of him, looking up he met her bright emerald eyes, she smiled at him and perched on his desk.

"Looks like you can use it." Jenny indicated towards the cup, taking in the tenseness in his posture.

Jethro took the cup, holding it close and inhaling the strong aroma. Exhaling heavily he handed over the paper bag, allowing Jenny to pick first. He silently offered her his chair but she declined, preferring to sit on his desk.

" _Are_ you okay?" Jenny asked quietly. She could see something was bothering him.

"We have to cancel." Jethro said simply, not seeing the point in lying to her up until the last minute, "Joann needs to go to Baltimore, some emergency."

"Oh," Jenny pursed her lips slightly, "we don't have to cancel."

"No, Jen," Jethro smiled slightly, "I just want it to be us for a night." it was hard having a conversation about anything when there was a three-year-old constantly butting in.

"I can ask Noemi, I doubt she'll mind. It might even do her some good." Jenny poked around her carton of Chinese, looking for her favourite pieces.

"I appreciate the offer Jen, but I don't want to impose on her." Jethro took a large bite of egg noodles. They lapsed into silence.

Jenny frowned slightly, she knew Jethro had his reasons for not wanting to leave Kelly with a nanny. He'd made that clear when they started making plans. She also knew that he'd rather suffer in silence than ask someone for help if it involved his private life.

"I guess we'll just have to reschedule." Jenny smiled and turned back to her Chow Mein.

"Reschedule what?"

Both Jenny and Jethro turned to look at the person who asked the question. Jethro glared at the Israeli for listening in on a private conversation, she simply turned her gaze from him to Jenny.

"Nothin',"

"Our date," They spoke in unison, giving the other a glare.

Ziva looked at the two of them over the divider, "Oh, why?"

"None of your business." Jethro growled irately, turning back to his own container full of food.

Jenny rolled her eyes at him and slapped his shoulder lightly, she could see something was bothering him other than the fact that he had to cancel. "The babysitter cancelled. So our night out is now going to be in."

"You want someone to sit on your child?" Ziva asked incredulously, giving Jethro a wide eyed look. Jethro growled at her but didn't answer.

"No, Ziva, no-one can look after Kelly for the night." Jethro glared at Jenny again, unimpressed by the fact that she was sharing private information with Ziva.

Ziva nodded in understanding. She looked over at Tony who was explaining something rather animatedly. She was spending her evening with him watching movies, and she couldn't see why they couldn't take Kelly off their hands for a while. She knew how much Jenny had been looking forward to this night.

"I can take her. Tony and I are just going to watch some movies, I am sure he will not mind." Ziva looked over at Tony and waved him over.

Tony left Kate and McGee at his desk, grabbing his half eaten burger and making his way to his boss' desk, "What's up?"

"They do not have someone to sit on Kelly, so I volunteered us." Ziva explained to him briefly.

Tony looked at her in bewilderment, taken aback by what she said. He took a moment to think about what it was she actually meant. He chewed his large bite of food, nodding as he started understanding what it was she had said. He grinned at his boss, his olive green eyes twinkling.

"Sure, anythin' to help the Boss-man score." Tony looked at Jenny smiling when she glared at him.

Three sets of eyes turned onto Jethro, watching as he contemplated their offer. He could see the hope in Jenny's eyes as the two younger agents lingered to hear if they'd take them up on their offer. He was fine with Kelly spending time with Tony, it wouldn't be the first time and Kelly would be thrilled with spending time with him. Kelly also seemed to like Ziva so it was a win-win for all of them.

"Okay." Jethro finally broke the silence.

Tony's grin grew as he eyed Ziva across the divider, "You know what we're watching tonight?" he didn't wait for her to answer, " _The Lion King_ , so far one of the highest grossing animated movies of all time." Tony made his way to the other side of the bullpen, "Then some _Toy Story_ , after which we'll watch _Pocahontas_."

"DiNozzo," Jethro turned to look at his senior field agent.

"Yeah, boss?"

"No _Addams Family_ , and none of that Ball Dragon stuff." Jethro glared at him.

" _Dragon Ball Z_ , yeah I remember boss, they give her nightmares. We'll watch them when she's older." Tony turned back to Ziva, his excitement growing at the thought of sharing his love for movies with Ziva and Kelly.

Jenny looked back at Jethro, her smile still on her lips, "I think all we had to do was ask."

* * *

Jethro rummaged through Kelly's set of drawers, trying to find a pair of clean pyjamas. He hadn't had a chance to get the laundry done since their return from Stillwater, and he was hoping there was a pair of pyjamas somewhere in the drawer. Finding a set of pyjamas covered in cartoons he let out a sigh of relief and turned back to his hyperactive toddler.

"Stop jumping on the bed." Jethro scolded as he watched Kelly bounce around.

Kelly settled down, still standing on the bed, her towel long since discarded for dancing around in her underwear. Jethro gave her a look, silently telling her to calm down. He'd struggled getting her in the tub, in the last week she had refused to take baths when he had a chance to get home at a decent hour. He had told himself that it was just another phase they would have to tough out, but there were moments he contemplated putting her in bed despite the fact that she was sticky and dirty.

Kelly's excitement had bubbled over since he told her she'd be spending her night with Ziva and Tony instead of her grandmother. It did make him feel a little better that she was looking forward to spending some time with them, and less guilty about leaving her for a few hours.

"Kelly," Jethro snapped when she wriggled around too much for him to pull the pyjama-top over her head.

Kelly stayed still long enough to get dressed before she started moving around again, darting around her room and throwing most of her toys into her backpack. Yoda simply looked at her from his spot on the chair, he'd been excited when they'd come home, but he had soon realised he wasn't a part of their plans.

Jethro patted the Terrier on the head, scratching his ears before leaving to get himself ready. He made sure that Kelly was preoccupied enough before slipping out of the room and quietly padding down the hall. He tried slowing his pace, not quite ready to be – _ready_. The knots in his stomach hadn't eased in the slightest, making him wonder whether it was down to his gut or nerves.

Jethro scoffed at himself, he was too old for nerves. The _butterfly_ feeling had died along with his wife, the last time he could remember actually feeling butterflies in his stomach was just before returning from Frankfurt. The anticipation of seeing his wife after being deployed on Operation _Desert Storm_ , and spending almost three weeks on base in Frankfurt had made him anxious to see her.

He'd been on dates before, with women he hardly even knew, some of them had been Mike Franks' idea. Other's had been Joann's doing. Only two of them had really turned into something. He hadn't felt this way back then, so what made him feel like this now?

Somewhere the rational part of his mind reminded him that his feelings for this woman went far beyond just simply liking her. He truly cared about her, and he was nowhere near admitting that his feelings went deeper than just caring.

Jethro had been smart enough to get showered before leaving NCIS, knowing that he'd run out of time with having to get himself and Kelly ready at the same time. Exchanging his hoodie and jeans for something a little more sophisticated; he buttoned the dark blue designer shirt and pulled on his jacket.

He found himself inspecting the way he looked. Their dinner reservations required him to dress in something other than washout jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. He shook his head at himself, who would have thought he'd get dressed up for a woman?

Satisfied with his choice of dark suit and an almost equally dark shirt he ran a hand through his hair and switched off his bedroom light. Stalking down the hall he could hear Kelly moving around her room, still talking non-stop to Yoda.

Peeking around the door he watched as she stuffed her grey bear into her backpack along with her turtle, causing the bag to almost burst at the seams. An equally bulging red backpack was at her feet, various pointy objects pushing against their confinement.

Jethro swooped her up off the floor, drawing a squeal from her, she giggle when she recognised it was him and twisted around in his arms to give him a hug. Planting a wet kiss on his cheek she placed both hands on his cheeks, wrinkling her nose cutely.

"Daddy, you smell funny." She sniffed at him, almost like a puppy.

"It's because I'm wearing cologne." Jethro returned her kiss and picked up the two backpack, slinging them over his shoulder.

"What is colon?" Kelly asked curiously.

Jethro laughed, "Not colon, cologne. A colon is a punctuation mark." Jethro poked her tummy softly, "And your colon is inside your tummy."

Kelly giggled as he poked her stomach, pushing his hands away. "Why are you wearing, colo-gne?"

"Because I wanted to smell nice." Jethro made his way to the front door, grabbing his keys and wallet.

"But you always smell nice." Kelly looked at him seriously, not really understanding why her father would want to smell different than usual.

The little girl dropped the subject for a while, waiting almost impatiently for her father to strap her into her car seat. When he was in his seat and they were heading down the street, she started kicking her legs against the seat in front of her, her creature-feet-like slippers were at least not leaving marks on the black leather.

"Daddy?" Kelly asked after a few more minutes of silence, watching the cars as they drove by them.

"Yeah, Kel?"

"Can I wear colo-gne when I is as big as you?"

Jethro chewed the inside of his cheek, not sure how to answer. Telling his daughter that she'd wear perfume rather than cologne, felt like telling her that she'd one day be a woman and to him she was still just his little baby girl. Clearing his throat a little he answered, "No, girls wear perfume."

"Oh." Was the only reply he received.

He felt his stomach flutter again.

Something felt off – _your wearing cologne_ , he thought to himself. Contrary to what people thought, he did care about what he smelled like and he did actually use deodorant, but the distinct smell of wood that seeped into his clothes just masked it. He could probably count the number of times he'd used cologne on one hand, unlike Tony who seemed to bathe in the stuff.

Pushing the niggling feeling and his sudden urge to wear cologne to the back of his mind, he tried to navigate the small back streets that took him around the still heavy rush hour traffic. Checking the small clock on the dashboard, he relaxed a little. There was still enough time for him to drive out to Silver Spring and then back to Georgetown.

Jethro fiddled with the radio, trying to find something that was worth listening to, he was too conflicted to be thinking about how the night was going to turn out. He growled under his breath when all he heard was static coming from the radio as he tuned it to find the _country_ station. All the other stations were playing stuff he didn't consider as music.

Kelly stopped him when he tried to find another station – he groaned internally, his daughter was spending too much time around Jenny and Kate, since their music taste was starting to rub off on her. He glared at the car in front him, trying to remember what the squeaky voiced artists called themselves – _Spice_ something. Jethro smiled as he heard Kelly mumble through half of the lyrics, he could hear her feet kick against the seat in time with the beat of the song.

They pulled up outside the grand apartment building. Kelly was already starting to unbuckle her safety belt, her excitement too much to contain. She grabbed her two backpacks and opened her door, where her father was already waiting for her. She slammed her door loudly and started heading toward the large glass doors.

"Kelly, wait!" Jethro growled as she wandered off on her own. The toddler froze at her father's tone, waiting for him to lock the car and meet her at the large doors.

Ushering Kelly through the doors, he steered her toward the elevator, the bags he'd taken from her in his other hand. Kelly stood near the panel with all the buttons, jabbing the right one and watching in wonderment as they started moving, the buttons lighting up for each floor as they passed it.

Kelly tugged on her father's jacket, "Daddy, up please?"

Jethro picked his little girl up, she was becoming heavier and he wasn't sure he'd be able to carry her around on his hip for much longer. He'd noticed her need to cling to him almost before she tugged on his jacket. He held her close, scrunching his nose at her when the doors slid open. He knew she was excited and would probably forget about him for a few hours, but neither of them were very good at saying goodbye to one another.

Trudging down the hall, Jethro felt Kelly's grip tighten. He located the number he was looking for, and knocked hard enough for them to hear. There were muted voices coming form the other side. He could just make out movement through the peep hole when the door swung open, the smell of popcorn hitting him in the face.

Jethro smiled politely at Ziva, "We too early?"

"No, Tony has been bouncing of the halls since I arrived." Ziva waved at Kelly, who held her arms out to her.

"Walls," Jethro corrected as he handed Kelly over to Ziva, who held her close with ease. It had surprised him how quickly Kelly had warmed up to Ziva, but he supposed the fact that Ziva was closer to Tony than the rest didn't hurt her case.

"Daddy's wearing colo-gne," Kelly blurted out as she settled on Ziva's hip, "he smells funny."

Jethro grit his teeth, hoping to fight the heat that was spreading across his cheeks.

Ziva's dark brown eyes sparkled with amusement as she watched Gibbs look anywhere but at her, she didn't think there was actually something that could make him uncomfortable. At least he was making an effort for Jenny. She'd seen some of the men who had taken her friend's fancy over the last two years, half of them more pretentious than the first.

Gibbs was different, she could see it in the way Jenny's eyes clouded over at the mention of his name.

"Well I think your Abba smells very nice." Ziva winked at the little girl, seeing yet another blush shoot across the older man's nose at the compliment.

"Whoa, Boss-man, you clean up pretty nice." Tony boomed as he came out of the kitchen, three bowls of popcorn in his arms, "I bet Jenny's gonna be very impressed."

"Shut it DiNozzo." Jethro growled.

Tony placed the bowls on the coffee table, making his way to the front door. He pulled his face at Kelly, drawing a giggle from her. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he eyed his boss warily, taking the tailored design of the older man's suit.

"That's a pretty nice suit, Boss, you're not planning on marrying Jenny are you?" Tony joked lightly.

The unamused look he got from Gibbs made him bite his lip to stop from smiling, "But you do look nice, the shirt makes your eyes pop."

"DiNozzo," Jethro growled again, he wanted to smile but he had to be intimidating.

"We do not wish to keep you any longer, I am sure you need to get going to make it in time for your reservations." Ziva interjected quickly before Tony could say something else that would make the other man more uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Jethro handed the backpacks to Tony and held out his arms for Kelly again. Hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek gently, "Daddy will see you later okay, I promise." Jethro pressed another kiss to her head and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too." Kelly returned his kiss and looked at him almost dejectedly as he placed her on the floor. Tony took her hand and led her to the living room, trying to distract her so that her father could leave without having to deal with tears.

"She's already had dinner, but she might get hungry a little later, I usually just make her a sandwich. There's money in the right front pocket of the blue backpack if you guys need it. My phones with me, so if anything happens just call."

Ziva rested a hand on his fore arm, "Gibbs, we're happy to take care of her. Go enjoy your night, I know Jenny can't wait."

Jethro smiled at her, "Thanks, Ziver."

Ziva closed the door as soon as Gibbs disappeared inside the elevator. Turning she watched as Tony settled next to Kelly on the thick carpet, giving her his full attention as she showed him the new toys she'd been given.

It occurred to her that this was the real Anthony DiNozzo, slightly unguarded and completely at ease with the person next to him. When he looked up at her she smiled at him, he seemed happy as he smirked at her and turned back to the little girl who had him wrapped around her small chubby finger. Telling herself to enjoy the night as much as possible – because she had a feeling her time in the States were numbered - she pushed away from the door and joined them on the carpet.

* * *

Noemi sipped her tee slowly, feeling proud of herself for brewing such a fine pot of tee. She flicked an imaginary piece of dust off her jeans and waited patiently, tapping her foot rhythmically against the carpeted floor. She was waiting for Jenny to emerge from the large walk in wardrobe, it had been rather amusing seeing the young woman talk to herself over what to wear.

"Jenny, are you still okay?" Noemi asked slightly concerned, she hadn't heard any muttering in a while.

The woman in question poked her head around the door, "I have nothing to wear."

Noemi's eyes widened in disbelief, a knowing smile flickering across her lips, "Nonsense, you have plenty of clothes."

Placing her cup on the small table she shooed Jenny back inside the closet, inspecting all the beautiful garments on display. Folding her arms primly she looked at the dresses on display, "What did he say, where is he taking you?"

When she didn't get a reply she spun around and faced Jenny. She'd been there when the young woman had gone on her first date, all though back then she wasn't as confident as she was now, preferring to hide in her father's study on weekends. Things had changed after Jasper's death, she'd seen the headstrong woman that she had helped raise crumble and rebuild herself, stronger and more guarded than before.

Jenny smiled at her almost nervously, still clad in nothing but a dark towel, she shrugged her shoulders, "He didn't say. All he said was he'd be here at seven, and I now have forty five minutes left." Jenny surveyed the closet, "Although I wouldn't put it past him if we just went to the diner he liked so much."

Noemi laughed, "You are joking?"

Jenny shook her head her lips pursed slightly, "No."

Noemi shook her head, turning back to the collection of dresses on display. Finding the one she had been looking for she took it and held it out towards Jenny, "You have been looking for an excuse to wear this since you bought it, now is your chance."

Jenny eyed the black long sleeve dress sceptically, not entirely sure if it was the right choice. She'd stick out like a sore thumb if Jethro really did take her to the diner, she shrugged her shoulders and took the dress – she'd rather be overdressed than under-dressed.

Padding back into her room she could hear Noemi mutter something about how messy her closet was. Slipping the dress on, she looked at herself in the mirror. Satisfied with the way she looked, she made her way to her vanity table.

Noemi reappeared in the bedroom, a pair of black four inch heels in her hand. Jenny smiled at her in the mirror, "How did you know those were the pair I wanted?"

Noemi placed the heels on the dresser, walking to stand behind the young woman. Pressing a maternal kiss to the back of her head she smile, " _Jimmy Choo_ is a woman's best friend. And I know you." Noemi winked at her and ran her fingers through Jenny's thick red curly hair, "Do you want me to straighten your hair?"

Jenny shook her head slightly as she applied the final touches to her make-up, "No, thank you. Jethro likes it this way." the faint blush was impossible to miss as it shot across her cheeks.

Noemi smiled at her, kissing her head again. She moved to the window, looking out on the street, the familiar dark sedan parked across the street made her smile. Looking at her watch she noted that he was five minutes early. She watched as he got out of the car, his crisp suit indicating that he had been a little more imaginative than just simply taking Jenny to a diner.

The redhead checked her appearance one last time before walking out of the room with Noemi ahead of her. She'd seen the glint in the older woman's eyes and she was curios about what she knew, and had so much trouble hiding.

They'd just stepped into the foyer when the doorbell went off. Noemi opened the door, smiling at the man on the other side. She bid them both a goodnight before leaving them alone, disappearing down the hall, a sudden sadness washing over her as she wished Jasper could see how his daughter beamed with love when she saw Jethro.

Jethro took in the sight in front of him. Starting at the impossibly high heels, admiring how they made her legs go on forever. He took a sharp breath at the enticing way the tight fitting dress showed off her curves, he wanted to pull her against him so he could run his hands all over her. Licking his lips he reached out and pulled her closer.

"You look beautiful." He sounded almost breathless as he whispered against her lips.

Not giving her a chance to reply, he pressed his lips against hers, kissing her until his lungs burned.

Jenny rested her hands against his chest, holding on to him for a minute. Her head was spinning slightly at the rush of kissing him. Meeting his darkened eyes she gave him a sultry smile, reaching out to wipe away the lipstick on his mouth.

"Jethro Gibbs, you, look very handsome." His eyes flicked down to her mouth as she spoke, enchanted by her sinful red lips.

"I try." Jethro smirked at her.

Placing a lingering kiss on her lips, he wrapped an arm around her waist holding her close, there was no way he'd let her slip from his grasp dressed like that. Opening her car door for her, he couldn't help put stare at her legs as she slipped inside the car elegantly, the pale skin taunting him to forgo his plans and drag her up to her bedroom instead.

The sultry smile she gave him as he slid into the seat next to her, told him that he'd been caught staring and that she had seen right through him. Reprimanding himself, he started the large eight cylinder engine and pulled out. Jethro clenched his jaw as Jenny rested her hand dangerously high on his thigh.

Jenny looked at Jethro out of the corner of her eye, her stomach had fluttered almost uncontrollably when she'd seen him step into the foyer. She'd half expected him to be wearing jeans and one of his hoodies and a pair of his work boots, not the well tailored suit he had opted for. But what had effectively knocked her feet out right under her, was how good he smelled.

Shifting around in her seat, she looked at the back seat out of habit, half expecting the little bundle of energy to be buckled in safely and staring out the window. However, there wasn't a pair of electric blue eyes looking at her curiously, the car suddenly seemed empty and definitely too quiet. "I miss her not being back there."

Jethro smiled at her, he knew how she felt all too well. He reminded himself that Kelly was safe since she was surrounded by two federal agents, and that it wasn't a crime to focus on him and Jenny for just a few hours. Taking Jenny's hand in his he brought it up to his face and kissed her hand softly turning his attention back to the road.

"So where are we going?" She couldn't help herself, there had to be a reason for him to get dressed up since he wasn't really one for suits.

"It's a surprise."

Jenny let out a sigh of relief as the car came to a stop, her lover was already out of the car and making his way to her door. The anticipation of what he had up his sleeve was too much for her to bear. Placing her hand in his she let him help her out of the car – despite the fact that she could manage just fine on her own, she'd stroke his ego by letting him be chivalrous.

Jethro placed his hand on the small of her back, pressing his fingers into the soft skin underneath the black material. He was silently hoping that the task of fishing for information he had given Ducky would pay off. He knew the owner of the small exclusive restaurant quite well and had managed to get reservations at the last minute.

The place was buzzing with activity, there were shops that were still open, teenagers moving about inside. Music spilled out into the small business square from a few bars, people moved between restaurants and shops, simply enjoying their Friday night.

Jenny moved a little closer to Jethro, trying to avoid being pummelled by a group of teenagers. He moved his hand from her back to her hip, holding her close and steering them away from the chaos to a more sophisticated area. The atmosphere seemed to change to a more relaxed classic feel.

They stopped in front of a restaurant that wasn't as flashy as the others, but the dark wood entrance and red curtains made it far more enticing than glass windows the rest had gone with.

Jethro smirked as he heard Jenny's small surprised gasp as he led her inside, the French style décore glaringly obvious. Jethro gave his name to the young man who'd welcomed them inside, and allowed Jenny to walk in front of him as they were led to their table.

The man introduced them to their waiter and had wished them a good evening before leaving again. They placed their orders along with a bottle of expensive red wine before they were left alone.

"I have to be honest," Jenny flashed Jethro a grin, "I wasn't expecting this."

Jethro narrowed his eyes only in the slightest, an arrogant smirk curling the corners of his lips, "So, I surprised you?" he knew he had, but he just wanted to hear her say it.

Jenny bit her lower lip, rolling her eyes. They'd had this exact conversation only a week ago and if memory served her well, which it did, he'd been rather annoyed with her answer. Giving him another smile, she answered him honestly, "I guess you did."

Jenny shook her head, his ego was going to be larger than him by the time their night was over. Taking a sip of her wine, which had arrived in the mean time, she looked around the expensively decorated restaurant. The red curtains in front of the large windows did nothing but hide the beauty of the place on the inside, she guessed that's what the original idea had been.

She'd lived in DC all her life and she hadn't even been aware that the restaurant existed. She'd been to all the other's that surrounded it, whether it was to take out one of her clients or to celebrate a particularly tough case during her time as a lawyer. She didn't even think Jethro knew this part of DC existed, she knew that he wasn't the type to rub elbows with senators and congressmen.

Taking another sip of her wine, she hummed appreciatively, the taste was strong and unique something she hadn't quite experienced before. She really was a bad judge of people, she wasn't aware that Jethro could really truly enjoy the taste of something other than the paint stripped he called bourbon. He surprised her once again but she'd be damned if she told him that, he was smug already.

"How did you know I liked French cuisine?" Jenny asked as casually as possible. She knew that Abby thought Jethro had some kind of psychic power, but she knew he had rather devious ways of obtaining certain information. That, and Ducky's fishing during the week had made her realise that something was up and it only just hit her now.

"I just knew." He didn't look at her, opting for looking into his glass of wine as he swirled the red liquid around.

"Uh-huh, right so Ducky asking had nothing to do with it." It was her turn too give him a smug smile, pleased that she had caught on. Although she was flattered that he'd gone out of his way to make the night special for her.

"Nah, it's just a coincidence." He said deadpan, shrugging his shoulders and drinking from the crystal glass.

Jenny smiled at him from across the table, neither of them believed in coincidences, she could see the barest hint of a smile on his lips as he avoided looking at her. Reaching out she tapped her finger against the back of his hand softly, running her fingers over his knuckles, drawing his attention back to her. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed it affectionately.

"Thank you, Jethro."

Jethro smiled at her, taking her hand in his firmly and bringing it to his mouth. His piercing blue eyes fluttered closed briefly as he kissed her hand tenderly. This time he knew exactly why his stomach fluttered suddenly, and it definitely had something to do with the look she gave him as he met her dark emerald eyes.

* * *

The apartment was quiet save for the movie that was currently playing. Kelly was sprawled out next to Tony, clutching onto his shirt as she watched the animated characters, still occasionally sniffling from earlier. Ziva was curled up next to them, swaddled in a blanket not used to the cold autumn nights.

Tony tapped Kelly's back rhythmically, soothing her quietly. They had watched the movie together a number of times, and the scene where _Mufasa_ dies still got to the both of them. He supposed for her it was like thinking she'd never see her father again if something similar ever happened, but to him it cut a lot deeper. It brought back painful memories of watching his mother's health deteriorate and then being there when she passed away.

He could have sworn that he'd seen Ziva wipe at her eyes a few times after that scene. She had told him briefly one night after a little too much to drink that she had lost her sister in a bombing, and that Gibbs' little girl reminded her of her sister. It was then that he'd realised how much she trusted him to keep such a secret safe.

The credits started rolling and he abandoned his spot on the couch to take the video tape out. Turning on the lights he squinted slightly, the lights too bright for his eyes.

Kelly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She moved across the plush leather couch to where Ziva was, snuggling into her as the young woman wrapped her in the blanket with her. Kelly leaned against her, her large blue eyes boring into Ziva, she smiled at her shyly as she mumbled, "Ziva, I'm hungry."

Ziva pursed her lips slightly, "Would you like some ice cream?" she knew that feeding a toddler sugar so late at night was wrong but it was probably a rare treat.

"Are you out of you mind? Do you have any idea what Gibbs would do to us if he were to find out we fed his kid ice cream instead of something proper to eat?" Tony looked at her in bewilderment. He didn't need the wrath of Gibbs upon him because Ziva wanted to feed Kelly ice cream.

"We'll have a sandwich and then some ice cream." Ziva amended.

Kelly wriggled out of the blanket, sliding to the floor and running towards Tony, crashing into his legs and hugging him tightly, "Please, Tony."

"Okay, but we'll have to go out at get some, cause I'm all out." Tony placed the video tape in its case.

Tony rummaged through Kelly's blue backpack, taking out the two stuffed animals and throwing them onto the couch. He had spent enough time with Kelly to know that Gibbs always kept a spare set of clothes, or in tonight's case a jacket in her backpack. Looking through the rest of the contents he found a full bottle of _Tylenol_ syrup and her _EpiPen_.

Taking the jacket he placed the backpack neatly back in its place and handed the jacket over to Ziva who had helped Kelly pull her slippers over her sock clad feet. Pulling the red baseball jacket over the pyjama top Ziva fastened it and pulled on her own coat.

"We're gonna have to walk since we don't have a car seat, and I'm not risking strapping her into the back of the car, Gibbs will find out. Which means your carrying her Zee-vah."

"Fine, Tony." Ziva gave him a saucy look. Taking Kelly's hand she walked with her to the front door, "You are coming, yes?"

Ziva rolled her eyes as yet another woman cooed more at Tony than at Kelly. The little girl was attracting quite a lot of attention with her larger than life slippers, wild curls and cartoon pyjamas, she looked cute, and every other single woman in the small 24/7 store thought so too. If she hadn't known any better she would have thought that Tony only offered to look after Kelly to pick up women.

Grabbing the first tub of ice cream she made her way to the cash register, watching as Tony conversed with a woman who was believing every word he was saying. Thanking the old man behind the counter for helping her she made her way to where Kelly was seated on the floor paging through a magazine.

Scooping her up off the floor, Ziva wrinkled her nose at the toddler and made her way to where Tony was standing oblivious to the fact that Kelly had wandered off. The woman's back was to her and she couldn't help but smile a little evilly behind the woman's back.

"Honey are you ready to leave?" Ziva asked in a sickly sweet tone of voice, batting her eyelashes and smiling at them innocently. Kelly giggled and buried her head in Ziva's shoulder.

Tony's mouth opened and closed a few times, watching in shock as the woman flipped her hair over her shoulder and stormed towards the exit. He turned dark unimpressed green eyes towards the Israeli, "What did you do that for?"

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"Zee-vah," Tony whined as he stomped after her, "I was this close to getting her number."

"Why do you think women would like you more if you had a child?" Ziva adjusted Kelly on her hip and passed the plastic bag to Tony.

"Oh come on Ziva." Tony twisted the plastic bag around his wrist and quickened his pace to keep up with her, "It's obvious, isn't it? You women like men who show signs of nurture, and since I'm looking after Kelly I figured I could use it to my advantage."

Ziva glared at the charming smile the Italian gave her, "That is bold, yes? Assuming all women like the same thing." placing the little girl on the ground, she took her hand in hers and held it tightly as they walked back to the apartment.

"Some would say stereotypical, but that's not the point." Tony scuffed his shoe a little as their pace slowed, "Besides the whole nurture thing works for Gibbs. I mean it wasn't long before he and Jenny were a thing."

Ziva held up a hand stopping him, "Ah, ah, Jenny liked Gibbs before she knew he had a child. And it is different since it is his child."

Tony narrowed his eyes at her slightly, she had a point, but he wasn't going to let the subject drop, "Why does it bother you how I pick up women?"

Ziva bit her lip, she had to tread carefully, "It does not bother me. But not all women like the same qualities in a man."

Tony stopped, looking at Ziva intently, licking his lips he smiled at her, "So, miss David, what do you look for in a man?"

They had stopped in front off a large display window, Ziva stepped closer to Tony, backing him into the large window. Her dark eyes flicking from his olive green eyes to his lips, a dangerous smile playing on her lips. Stepping closer to him, she heard him suck in a breath, dropping her voice to a whisper she husked in his ear, "I look for a man who knows how to kill."

Tony bent his head a little closer to hers, he could see the slight pink colouration on her cheeks where the cold air burned her skin, he licked his lips again tempted to close the small gap between them. Her hot breath on his skin made him lean a little closer, but before he could do anything she pulled away. His head fell back against the window with a thud, drawing Kelly's attention from where she had been staring at the display.

"What are we doing?" Kelly asked as she eyed the two adults almost suspiciously, looking every bit like her father.

"Nothing." Tony supplied quickly, kneeling in front of her he widened his eyes at her comically, "Are you hungry enough to have a sandwich and ice cream?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Kelly jumped excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him after her up the side walk.

Ziva quickened her steps to catch up, her heart still thundering in her ears after what had happened. They had been so close, but she had panicked at the last minute and reality came crashing down around her. Catching up to them, she looked at Tony through her lashes, her cheeks flushed with something other than the cold air.

Tony bumped his hand against hers, hooking his pinky around hers. He winked at her when she met his gaze, hoping to put her at ease with what had happened.

All three of them stumbled through the door, eager to warm up after their brisk walk back to the apartment. Kelly shed her jacket and shivered slightly before heading straight for the kitchen, her appetite larger than before they had left.

Tony hung their coats and Kelly's jacket before following the toddler into the kitchen.

Taking the tub of ice cream out of the bag, Tony smiled to himself, one thing he knew for sure was that most women loved their chocolate – and Ziva did too judging by the flavour she'd picked. Placing the tub in the freezer, Tony picked Kelly up and opened the fridge the both of them scanning the content inside.

"What do you want, Jelly Kelly?" Tony asked the toddler, already knowing what she'd pick he scanned the fridge to make sure he had everything.

"Tomato!" Kelly exclaimed happily.

Tony placed her on the floor, "One _very special_ DiNozzo – tomato, ham, lettuce and cheese – sandwich coming up."

Kelly scampered off to the living room, content to keep herself busy while she waited for her sandwich. Tony pulled the needed ingredients out of the fridge, along with a loaf of bread. He saw Ziva help Kelly dump all her toys on the carpet before joining him in the kitchen.

"Want some help?" Ziva asked, rolling up her sleeves and taking a seat at the kitchen island were Tony was already busy.

"You think you can make me one of those peanut butter sandwiches you're so good at making?" Tony looked at her hopefully.

"Sure."

They worked in silence around each other, each concentrating on their task at hand and keeping the peanut butter away from Kelly's sandwich. Ziva cut Tony's sandwich and placed it near him. She switched on the kettle as she made her way to the dining room where her phone was ringing.

Tony cut Kelly's sandwich in small squares before leaving to call her. She dropped her toys and followed him into the kitchen, keeping quiet since Ziva was on the phone. Tony pointed at her sandwich as she strutted in behind him, he didn't need Ziva shouting at them to keep it down, he showed that she should wait a moment.

He placed Kelly's sippy cup full of juice on the island next to her sandwich, slightly distracted by Ziva's half of the conversation. He took two cups out of the cupboard and placed a tea bag in each, waiting for the kettle to finish boiling.

It wasn't long before Ziva came back into the kitchen, looking a little put off. She had switched over to Hebrew halfway through when she realised Tony had been listening.

"There a problem?" Tony asked as he pulled the milk carton out of the fridge.

"No it is fine." Ziva said flippantly, taking her seat at the island again. She watched as he made them tea before diverting her eyes to the mess he'd made in the process of making Kelly's sandwich. "You already finished your sandwich?" Ziva sounded almost disgusted, "Did you even chew?"

Tony spun around, the carton of milk still in his hand. He looked at Ziva confused, wondering if she'd hit her head on the way back, "What are you talking about? I haven't even touched it yet, I've been making tea ever since you left."

Ziva pointed at the plate on the marble counter, the lettuce sticking out at the sides of the bread, "This is not your sandwich." She stated matter of factly.

The two agents looked at each other at the exact same moment as realisation dawned on them, the blood draining from their features.

"Ziva, Kelly took the wrong sandwich." Tony dropped the carton of milk on the floor in his haste to get to Kelly.

Ziva rushed in after him, her heart pounding twice as fast as usual, cursing herself for placing the plates together.

Tony climbed over the couch, not caring about the marks his boots were leaving on the expensive leather. He felt his body tense as he saw Kelly struggle for breath, one half of the sandwich already eaten. He picked her up and laid her down on the couch and elevated her legs.

"Kelly, you're going to be okay." He tried to sooth her, her eyes were panicked and he knew his looked exactly the same. "Ziva her _EpiPen_ , it's in the blue backpack!"

Ziva grabbed the backpack dumping the content out on the floor.

Kelly's skin was sweaty and already covered in hives. Tony could see she was starting to loose consciousness and having more trouble breathing, "Ziva!" he shout in panic when Kelly started to gurgle, her body convulsing.

Ziva thrust the _EpiPen_ in Tony's hands and turned the little girl on her side. Kelly threw up, her tiny body was already starting to go into shock. Tony pulled the safety cap off with his teeth, pressing it hard against her thigh until it clicked, waiting the required ten seconds.

"Call an ambulance!" Tony shouted, more in anger than the panic he was feeling.

"No, it will take too long, we'll drive." Ziva grabbed her cellphone and Tony's as she headed out the door behind Tony.

Ziva rushed a head of him, opening the door for the staircase. She slid past him again rushing to the bottom floor and shouting for someone to keep the door open.

Kelly was limp in Tony's arms, her breathing shallow as she struggled more and more to breath, her lips starting to turn blue. Tony lifted her higher and held onto her with one arm, the other tapping her cheek softly to get her to gain consciousness, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

"Come on, Kelly, you can't do this to me."

The woman who was holding the staircase door open for him rushed to open one of the large glass doors as well.

Ziva pulled up in front of the door just as he ran outside. Opening the door he placed Kelly on the back seat and slid in next to her. He'd barely closed the door when the tyres squealed and they were off, heading to the nearest hospital. Tony turned Kelly onto her side as she started throwing up again.

"Step on it, Ziva!" Tony shouted at her again, having given in on his blinding panic. Gibbs was going to kill him.

"Tony calm down! Stay calm and try and get Kelly to stay calm, she might breath easier." Ziva snapped at her friend, not wanting to show that she was just as panicked as him.

Fumbling with the buttons on the dashboard she found the small switch for the blue lights hidden in the car's grill. The car's slowly started moving out of their way.

Ziva kept her eyes on the road and one hand on the steering wheel, digging around in her pocket for her cellphone. Finding it, she pressed speed dial and waited for Gibbs to answer his phone. She muttered under her breath as a car refused to move out of the way. All she got was voice mail.

Leaning on the horn she passed the car, and cursed at him in Hebrew. She redialled Gibbs' number and waited for him to pick up. She cursed much louder this time and in English as she got voice mail again. "Catch." She tossed the phone at Tony.

"He isn't picking up." Ziva threw over her shoulder as they sped down the road.

Tony fumbled with the phone slightly. He scrolled through the few contacts until he found the right number, pressing the phone against his ear he waited for someone to pick up while he tried to get Kelly to breath.

* * *

The air was cool as they stepped out of the small restaurant, Jenny shivered slightly as a cold wind swept through the buildings. Jethro stepped closer to her, draping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her into his side, letting her steel his body heat. They wandered away from the now buzzing restaurants towards the small shops they'd passed earlier.

"Mmm, I think I'm gonna have to spend some extra time in the gym." Jenny mumbled jokingly as she leaned more against Jethro. She could feel his chest vibrate with laughter.

"Always liked a woman who could eat properly." He growled in her ear, hoping she didn't have the annoying infatuation with counting calories.

"I'll just burn it off." She winked at him.

"I can help with that." He whispered in her ear, enjoying the way her cheeks flushed at what he implied. He smirked at her when she glared at him before breaking out into a grin.

Jenny breathed deeply, taking in his scent and storing it away as something that could only be described as – _him._ She shivered again, her fingers curling tightly into her clutch as she fought off the cold.

"You cold, Jen?" Jethro asked as she shivered again. He rolled his eyes when she shook her head, he could see she was cold.

Shrugging off his jacket he draped it around her shoulders, pulling her against him again. She'd probably throw a fit about it, but he wasn't going to stand by and watch her shiver the rest of the night.

"Why are you always so warm?" Jenny mumbled softly as she pulled the jacket a little tighter around herself. She wasn't going to complain about being wrapped in his jacket and his scent. He only laughed at her as they wandered past various little shops.

They were quiet, enjoying the closeness. Jethro grit his teeth, the pain in his stomach almost unbearable, he let out a silent breath as the cramp subsided. Something wasn't right and he wondered if he'd had something funky in the last few days that wasn't corresponding well with him.

"Oh, can we go in?" Jenny asked as they stopped in front of an artshop with various paintings on display and some for sale.

Jethro smiled and led her inside, moving with her as she looked over the paintings. He had to admit that some of them were impressive. He gave a slight nod at the woman who emerged from somewhere as she greeted them. He was content to watch Jenny as she asked all sorts of questions about the artists and the paintings.

Checking his watch discreetly, he noted that it was quite late for a toddler to be up and wondered if Kelly was still awake or fast asleep.

"Apparently we missed the display that was on earlier." Jenny informed him as they stepped out of the small store again, "Some young guy's work was on show, that's why there were so many kids."

Jethro only raised an eyebrow, not really interested in what had been going on. Placing his arm around Jenny he rested his hand on her hip as they continued down the walkway past the shops. He ground his teeth together again and this time he couldn't hide his discomfort.

"Jethro, are you okay? You look uncomfortable."

"Just something I ate." He smiled at her tightly and steered her towards the second-hand book store.

Pressing a kiss to her forehead he let her wander off while he headed towards the stack of books near the back off the store. He desperately wanted to collect his thoughts, because he knew he didn't eat anything that made his stomach knot so painfully. Finding a stack of old fairytale books he went through them, hoping to find one he could read to Kelly.

Jenny scanned through the various romance novels. It was some sort of guilty pleasure she had, enjoying whatever steamy love affair the novels held. There were a few that drew her attention, even if it were just because of their raunchy titles. Her moment of indulgence was interrupted as her phone started ringing in her clutch.

Indicating to Jethro that she was stepping outside, she made her way into the cold night and took her phone out of her clutch. She groaned internally when she saw Ziva's number flash on the small screen. A phone call from her only meant one thing, they had landed themselves a case.

Taking a deep breath she answered before it could end, "Hey, Ziva." she'd foregone her usual greeting since she knew who it was.

" _Jenny, it's Tony. Why isn't Gibbs answering his phone?!"_

Jenny was slightly taken aback at the anger in the young man's voice, and even more so that he was calling from Ziva's phone, "Tony, what's going on. Why are you so panicked?"

" _Tell Gibbs to meet us at Bethesda!"_

"Tony is it Kelly? What happened?" Jenny felt fear grip at her heart.

" _I don't have time to explain! Just meet us there!"_

The phone call ended, leaving Jenny equally panicked. She just knew that this whole thing had to do with Kelly. She calmed herself quickly. She felt Jethro behind her, and she knew he was aware that something was wrong.

"Jen, what's wrong, who was that?" Jethro asked with an edge to his voice.

"It was Tony, he said we had to get to Bethesda."

* * *

The Dodge came to an abrupt stop just outside the emergency room. Tony pulled Kelly onto his lap, as the door swung open, he looked up into Ziva's eyes and could see she was as scared as he was, she just masked it better. She helped him out of the car and was off shouting at the closest paramedic to help them.

A group of emergency personnel rushed through the sliding glass doors.

"What happened?" The emergency doctor asked as Tony placed Kelly on the stretcher.

Tony looked up at the familiar voice, a brief moment of relief washing over him, "George you've gotta help us. Gibbs is going to kill us if something happens to Kelly."

"Anthony calm down, and tell me what happened." George asked as they rushed the stretcher through the doors and down the corridor.

"She had peanut butter. She's allergic to peanuts." Tony spoke urgently.

George gave him a nod before he turned his attention back to the little girl.

Tony listened as they barked orders, and he felt his heart drop to his stomach as he realised what was going on. He felt Ziva next to him as they watched as Kelly threw up again. A nurse appeared in front of them, pushing them back and closing the curtain so they could work without interruptions. Another nurse appeared from behind the curtain, taking them back to the emergency waiting room.

"Did you give her any medication when the reaction occurred?" The young nurse asked.

"Just her _EpiPen_. We rushed her here as quick as we could." Tony supplied his hands fisted in his dark hair.

"Has she had previous attacks?"

"Uh, not that I'm aware of. Listen nurse, you gotta get her better, you don't want to face her dad when he arrives and you have no good news."

The nurse gave a curt nod and rushed back to the emergency room.

Tony paced around, his hands still in his hair. He stopped and glared at Ziva, turning his anger towards her. He marched right up to her, stepping into her personal space, "Why aren't you panicking?!"

Ziva glared at him and hit her fist against his chest, causing him to step away from her, she moved towards him, "Of course I'm panicking! Do you realise that if I hadn't put the plates together then none of this would have happened!"

"No! This is my fault I don't need you covering for me. I should have made sure she took the right one. I should have checked!" Tony's chest heaved as he stopped shouting. His nerves were getting the better of him.

Ziva's jaw was clenched tightly, trying to stop her jaw from quivering. She was blaming herself for the whole ordeal and she knew that Tony was too. It had been an accident neither of them could have prevented. She didn't want to be responsible for someone else's heartache. She rushed into Tony's open arms, holding onto him as they waited for word from the nurse.

The emergency waiting room was empty. Ziva was seated in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs Tony was right next to her with his hands in his hair. She stared at the impersonal white wall, trying to keep her mind clear of any thought. They were alone and hadn't heard anything yet, and they didn't know where Gibbs or Jenny were.

Tony's head snapped up as he heard the commotion going on outside the swinging wooden doors. Looking over at Ziva he stood and made his way to the door, looking through the small window.

Pushing open the door he heard the harsh voice echoing around the empty emergency room.

The nurse behind the reception desk jumped as the man in front of her slammed his fist down on the desk, she'd dealt with angry people before but she'd never seen something like this before. An older nurse came into view, her steps angry and quick as she marched up to the man who was harassing one of her girls, she was willing to bet that he was drunk.

"Excuse me sir, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down." She said sternly, glaring at the back of a dark head of hair.

"What?!"

"Jethro, please calm down." Jenny pleaded softly, she was just as terrified as him. His anger and silence had scared her on the way here and his outburst made her fearful of what might happen when he saw Tony.

The nurse stepped back, holding out a hand, she blinked, "Jethro?"

"Where's my daughter, Anita?" Jethro snapped angrily, he didn't have the time or the patience for pleasantries.

"Let me check." Anita stepped behind the desk trying to find some information.

The creak of the wooden doors opening drew Jethro's attention to his senior field agent. He felt every muscle in his body coil in anger, before he knew it he was off, his vision blurred with anger. He could feel his nails bite into his palm as his fingers curled into a tight fist.

Tony took a step back, hitting the wall.

Jenny drew a soft gasp as Jethro rose his right arm, "Jethro, no!"

Jethro faltered his fist slamming into the wooden door.

His shoulders heaved with each heavy breath he took.

Tony looked straight into Gibbs' eyes, his own eyes large and in shock. He had half expect the force of the blow to hit him. Instead the punch had landed right next to him, looking over Gibbs' shoulder he could see that Jenny was as shocked as he was with what had happened.

Jethro's breathing came out in small angry shudders, surprised by his own actions. He'd been instinct driven the moment he saw Tony, knowing something had happened but not knowing what. If Jenny hadn't called for him he probably would have punched his agent, his friend. Dropping his hand to his side he took a step back.

Reigning in his anger, he spoke, "What happened?" he was calm, too calm.

"Boss, I turned my back for a second and then before I-" Tony looked at Gibbs with large eyes as he was interrupted.

"What happened?!"

"She ate peanut butter." Ziva supplied from where she had been standing a few feet away from Tony.

Jethro closed his eyes tightly, trying to keep his panic at bay.

Jethro pressed his hand against his forehead, taking a deep breath. He felt a small hand slip into his free hand and squeeze hard enough to draw his attention to the redhead. He met her soft green eyes, and in that moment he knew he didn't have to go through this alone.

Staring into her eyes he could see the guilt behind the emerald orbs, the knowledge that if she hadn't insisted they go out then none of this would have happened. He wanted to reassure her that it wasn't her fault, but he didn't trust himself to say anything, he was terrified that they'd be getting the worst news.

"George is on his way." Anita, the head nurse, said as she walked past the small group of people.

Jethro nodded, taking Jenny's hand firmly in his, he made his way towards the wooden doors that led to the emergency room.

A young nurse pushed through the door, her eyes scanning for the couple from earlier who had been with the little girl they had treated. She saw them and gave them an assuring smile as she walked closer to them, she halted slightly when the man pointed to the other gentleman who seemed about ready to rip someone apart.

Swallowing nervously she stepped towards him, "Family of Kelly Gibbs?"

Jethro nodded, "Yes, I'm her father. Can I see her? Is she okay?"

"Doctor Connor is having her moved to a private room. She's experienced Anaphylactic shock, it wasn't too serious and the administration of her _EpiPen_ had prevented any serious damage. The fact that she could be treated so quickly also helped. Doctor Connor said he'd meet you as soon he gets a chance."

"Which floor is she on?" Jethro asked, slowly moving to the elevator.

"Fourth floor. The nurse on duty will be able to tell you which room." The young woman smiled at them before rushing back into the emergency room.

Jethro slammed his hand against the button, anxious to get to the fourth floor. He heard Tony and Ziva walk behind them. He wasn't sure whether he was angry with them or if he was thankful for their quick reaction. Jenny was squeezing his hand nervously and he could tell that the guilt was consuming her, he could see the trace of tears in her eyes.

The metal doors slid open and Jethro stormed in, jabbing the button for the fourth floor he didn't wait for Ziva or Tony to make up their mind, they were either coming or staying.

Jenny let go of Jethro's hand as the silver doors slid open, he was moving too fast for her to keep up with him. She felt Tony's hand on her shoulder as they followed behind Jethro, she looked up at him seeing the torment in his eyes. Kelly meant the world to him as well and the fact that this had happened on his watch was eating him up.

Jethro searched the doors for the number the nurse had given him. He was too consumed with seeing his daughter that he didn't give much thought to anything else. Finding the right door, he opened it quickly.

Jethro grit his teeth tightly, fighting every emotion that threatened to surface. It felt as if the walls were closing in on him as he stared at Kelly. He walked up to the bed slowly, his feet feeling heavier with each step. He didn't want to see her like this, it just added more guilt to his conscience – guilt that he hadn't been there when she needed him the most.

Kelly's skin was still flushed and full of hives. The swelling on her face had gone down some, but she had a nasal cannula to help her breathe easier. Her skin was slightly cold and clammy to the touch. Kelly stirred slightly as her father rested a hand on her forehead and pressed a protective kiss to her temple.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl." Jethro whispered with difficulty as he tried to swallow against the lump in his throat.

Sinking down on the bed, Jethro rested a hand on Kelly's chest, reassuring himself that she was breathing. He blinked against the stinging in his eyes. He was content to just look at her while she breathed.

The door squeaked behind him, but he didn't turn to look at who had come in.

"Quite the little warrior you've got there." George commented as he hung his stethoscope around his neck. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his white lab coat, he stepped closer, meeting the other man's gaze, "I want to keep her over night, just to make sure. She was in shock, which made it look worse than it actually was, but I'll still be sending her for tests in the morning just to be sure."

"But she's going to be okay?" Jethro didn't look up from looking at Kelly.

"She'll be just fine, Jethro." George clapped him on the shoulder, "My shift ended an hour ago so I'll be leaving, the doctor on call is one of the best if you have more questions she'll be able to answer them."

The door squeaked again as George left.

It wasn't long before another presence entered the room. Jethro sighed, he didn't know if he had it in him to face Tony. He could feel the younger man hesitate and almost leave. He twisted slightly, looking over his shoulder at the younger man.

"What is it, DiNozzo?" Jethro grumbled, turning back to Kelly.

Tony fisted a hand in his hair again, he was rendered motionless. His words seemed to slam together in his throat as he tried to force out an apology, he doubted a simple _sorry_ would suffice. He was regretting his decision to face Gibbs right next to Kelly's hospital bed; the tone of the older man's voice had indicated that he didn't have the patience to sit and listen to him trying to find a way to apologise for what had happened. Why did he let Jenny talk him into facing his boss?

Tony grit his teeth and squared his shoulders, he was going to do this come hell or high water. Scuffing his boots on the linoleum floor softly, he walked to the opposite side of Kelly's bed, not sure if he could chance standing so close to Gibbs.

"There somethin' you wanna say, Anthony?" Jethro snapped as the young man.

Tony's eyes widened slightly, Gibbs never called him by his full name, not even when he messed up. For the briefest moment he thought he might be out of a job come Monday.

"I'm sorry, Gibbs..." Tony placed a gentle hand on Kelly's much smaller one as she laid in the large hospital bed, not wanting to meet the older man's gaze, "If I had paid attention, then maybe we wouldn't be here right now."

"No, I shouldn't have left her." Jethro moved a few stray curls from Kelly's forehead, "I should have listened to my damn gut."

"You couldn't have known this would happen." Tony took a seat on the bed, twisting so he could look at his boss.

Pressing his lips together tightly and shaking his head, Jethro tried to ignore his senior agent's words. He didn't like the idea of not knowing when something bad was going to happen. His main goal after Kelly had been born was to protect her from anything that could hurt her, and in a way he had failed her when her mother had been taken away.

"Go home, Tony, take Ziva with you. Get cleaned up. There's no point in the two of you hanging around here." Jethro sighed as he looked at Tony, "It's not an option."

Tony closed his mouth, not really sure where he stood with Gibbs. Nodding, he squeezed Kelly's hand as she slept and made his way back to the squeaking door. He stopped and turned back to look at Gibbs, "Jethro, I really am sorry."

"I know." Tony could hear the thickness in the other man's voice and slipped out the door to give him some privacy.

Jenny looked up as the door creaked open, looking up she watched as Tony slipped out of the private room, looking better than when he had gone in. Standing quickly she moved to him, this time resting her hand on his shoulder, "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. He wants us to go home," Tony looked over at Ziva, "don't wanna piss him off any more."

She nodded silently, she'd been quiet since she had told Gibbs what had happened. Offering her his hand Tony pulled her out her seat, draping an arm casually over her shoulders. Her eyes were hard and void of any emotion. He knew she was feeling guilty, probably more than he was at the moment, he also knew that he had no words of comfort to make her feel better about what had happened.

Jenny said goodnight and watched as they headed towards the elevator, leaving her alone in the empty hallway. She chewed the inside of her cheek, not sure if Jethro wanted her in there with them. They were all trying to take the blame for something that could have happened at any given moment, but somehow it felt like she was to blame.

She felt like she had almost forced Jethro into agreeing for Tony and Ziva to take Kelly, since he clearly didn't want to leave her with anyone other than Joann. Somewhere in the back of her mind she came to the conclusion none of this would have happened if they had stayed at home, since he had no trace of anything peanut related in his house. She was willing to bet neither did Joann.

Pulling the jacket she still had around her shoulders a little tighter she sank back in her seat. Leaning her head against the cold and impersonal hospital wall, she stared at nothing in particular much like Ziva had a few minutes ago.

Jenny closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She felt the tears sting the back of her eyes, she didn't think she had it in her to face Jethro right now. The hurt in his eyes had torn right through her and had knocked down every wall she had ever constructed to stop herself from actually feeling something. She knew he was thinking of his wife whom he had lost, as well as his mother. The raw emotion in his eyes for that brief moment had made her realise that she didn't just care for him.

She loved him.

And she was willing to do anything not to see the pain in his eyes again.

The door squeaked and she quickly opened her eyes. Jethro was standing next to her looking at her with eyes more guarded than usual. Standing, she placed a soft hand on his cheek, stroking the tender skin softly, "How is she?"

"Asleep," Jethro sighed.

Jenny dropped her hand form his cheek to his shoulder, kneading the tense muscles slightly. Stepping closer to him, she slipped her other arm around his waist, hugging him tightly. His arms wrapped around her and held her to him. He squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled her scent, hoping to find something that calmed him.

"You don't have to stay, I'll understand if you want to head on home." Jethro held her at arms length, his other hand cupping her cheek in turn, his thumb brushing across her lip softly.

"I'm not going anywhere." Jenny pressed a soft kiss to his lips before sliding past him and going into Kelly's room.

It was somewhere near midnight when a nurse had wheeled two cots into the room, she'd taken the initiative when she had done her first round after taking over the shift. She had rolled her eyes when the little girl's father had protested that he wouldn't need it.

Jenny emerged from the bathroom, dressed in something more casual. She'd called Noemi and told her about what had happened and had asked for a change of clothes. The older woman had almost been hysterical when they wouldn't let her into the ward. Jenny had rushed to get her sea bag and had promised Noemi that she would keep her up to date with what was going on.

Jethro was propped in a chair, staring at Kelly as if she was going to disappear into thin air. He'd been in a brooding mood ever since he'd realised his phone had died which was why Ziva hadn't been able to reach him earlier.

Jenny padded around the room in her socks, trying to find the hair tie she had dropped. Spotting it in the corner of the room, she picked it up and threw her hair into a messy ponytail, tendrils of red hair escaping the hair tie. She blew some of her hair out of her face and pulled one of the plastic chairs next to Jethro's.

She didn't bother with asking him if he was okay, she could see the worry in his eyes each time she glanced at him. The fact that Kelly hadn't woken up in the last two hours they had been watching over her, was causing concern for the both of them. The nurse had reassured them that it was normal and that such a violent attack was taxing for such a small body.

Jethro felt Jenny place her hand over his, he laced his fingers with hers and settled a little more in his own uncomfortable plastic chair. Jenny being there with him meant more to him than he was willing to admit. He'd half expected her to constantly ask him if he were okay and if he wanted to talk about it. Instead she had moved around quietly, arranging the cots in a corner of the room out of their way, leaving him to brood in silence and on his own. The silent message was clear, she was there if he wanted to talk.

"Some date huh?" He just wanted to hear her voice for a few minutes, just to take his mind off all his failures in life.

Jenny sensed his need of distraction and moved her chair closer to his, resting her head on his shoulder, "You can say that again." she snuggled a little closer to him, "I wasn't aware you had such good driving skills."

"You spend enough time around Mike Franks, it starts rubbin' off on ya." Gibbs replied, running his thumb over hers to distract himself.

"The first time I got in a car with Ziva, we were in London." Jenny shook her head and pressed her forehead into Jethro's shoulder, looking almost pained by the memory, "Driving at break neck speed on the wrong side of the road and weaving through traffic can do a number on you."

"Would hate to have her and Mike in the same car." Jethro said after a while, shaking his head at the thought.

Jenny smiled slightly, she'd like to meet Mike one day. Turning her watchful gaze back to the hospital bed she watched as Kelly's chest moved with every breath she took. There was still some swelling, but not as much as earlier, the nasal cannula was still in place. The angry red hives were almost gone, leaving her looking pale.

"It's surreal to see her this still." Jenny frowned, she was too used to Kelly bouncing around and asking questions and singing some tune of a song, slowly driving her father crazy.

Jethro didn't say anything. He was reliving nights he had deprived himself of sleep just to watch his daughter's shallow breathing. In the beginning just after Shannon's funeral he'd stare at Kelly, convinced that she wasn't breathing.

It was just after two in the morning, the room's lights had been dimmed and Jenny had fallen asleep when the silence had gone on for too long. She had curled up in her chair and her chin rested on her chest, refusing to move when Jethro tried to wake her.

Pulling himself to his feet, Jethro moved to the window over looking the rest of the city. His muscles were cramping from being in the same position for too long. He rolled his shoulders and felt them pop, relieving some tension. Turning back to the room he looked straight at a pair of sleepy emerald orbs.

"Did I wake you?" He murmured softly.

Jenny rubbed her eyes, shrugging her shoulders. Jethro rolled his eyes at himself, of course he woke her she was a special agent after all. He watched as she mewled softly, stretching, looking almost cat-like.

Movement on the hospital bed drew both their attention.

Kelly's eyes fluttered open, her hands moving up to the cannula in her nose. She pulled at it in panic, her eyes darting around the room. She opened her mouth as wide as she could but she was unable to breath.

Jethro was next to her in a heartbeat, "Kelly!" he shouted. She was staring at him with terrified blue eyes as she tried to breath. He pried her hands away from the cannula and placed it back in her nose, her body was already starting to go into shock.

Jenny had already left the room to find a nurse.

Kelly started gurgling again.

Jethro turned Kelly onto her side as quickly as possible; her tiny body heaved as she threw up. There was nothing left in her stomach and she started producing bile. Jethro tried to stay calm for Kelly's sake, talking to her calmly until someone arrived.

The night staff burst through the door, the doctor on call in tow.

Jethro fought one of the male nurses as he tried to move him away from the bed, "What's happening?!"

"Sir, you're going to have to step outside please." The male nurse pushed him away from the bed more forcefully, making room for the doctor.

"Get him out of here nurse." The doctor spoke calmly, not once looking away from Kelly.

The nurse pushed him out the door and closed it quickly and moving back to the doctors side and assisting.

Jenny had her hand clasped tightly over her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Jethro. He was looking at her with panicked blue eyes, the fear clearly showing on his face for the first time. She rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around him, "She's going to be okay."

Jethro squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to cry. He held Jenny close, praying.

"Tell me she's going to be okay." Jenny demanded softly.

Jethro held her face in his palms, looking her straight in the eye, "She's going to be okay." his voice held the barest hint of a quiver as he spoke.

Pulling her into him again, he looked through the small window, watching as the medical personnel moved around the room. His eyes stung and each time he blinked his vision blurred slightly. Biting his tongue he forced his emotion back down, wanting to feel nothing as they waited.

The door swung open, and Kelly's bed was wheeled out into the hallway. The doctor stepped out of the room, pulling the surgical mask from her face, "Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs?"

They didn't have the guile to correct her.

"Kelly is stable. She had a second attack, it's not uncommon for people with severe allergies. I am a little concerned because of her young age. I'm sending her for tests as we speak, I don't want to be surprised in the morning."

"What kind of tests?" Jethro asked roughly.

The doctor motioned for them to walk with her as they headed towards the elevator, "I'll be sending her for a CT scan first, just to make sure there is no brain damage. Then we'll draw some blood to make sure there's no damage to her kidneys. We'll do some additional tests, just to cover all our bases."

Jethro grit his teeth, he could feel Jenny's nails dig into him with each word the doctor spoke.

"You are welcome to come with and wait while we do the tests." The doctor stepped aside as they rushed into the elevator.

Minutes turned into hours as they waited for the test results. Jethro looked at his watch, it was already four in the morning. Jenny was pacing up and down the hall, still only wearing her pink socks, her shoes forgotten. Jethro pressed the heel of his palm into his eye, forcing the fatigue away. He was too distracted to notice the doctor step out one of the rooms.

"Jethro," Jenny said as she marched back up the hallway in her pink socks.

Jumping to his feet Jethro crowded the doctor, "Is she okay, what did the tests say?"

"She's perfectly fine. There was no damage done. Although the additional tests do show that she has Arrhythmias – a heartbeat that is either too fast or too slow. In her case it is slightly faster than usual. Now this is no cause for concern, we all experience it at least once in our life time. It will go away as soon as her body has recovered as she's up and about."

Jethro blinked at the doctor. He couldn't find the words to thank her.

"Thank you." Jenny thanked the doctor.

"If you'll excuse me." The doctor smiled before rushing off to the emergency room as her name was being called.

They followed behind Kelly's bed silently until they were back on the fourth floor and in her room. Jethro hadn't said a word since talking to the doctor. Jenny licked her lips, she could sense he wanted to be alone for a while.

"I'll go find us some coffee." Jenny kissed the side of his head before slipping out the door, this time with her shoes on.

Jethro stared at Kelly as she laid in the large hospital bed. He could still see the fear in her eyes whenever he closed his. The perilous fear that gripped his heart was still lingering over him, his chest hurt whenever he thought about how helpless he'd been.

The whole situation was crashing down around him. He wasn't always going to be around to prevent something from happening to her. The same way he hadn't been there to protect Shannon when she had put herself in danger, if he had he could have stopped her from testifying.

He saw all kinds of evil every day of his life, his job demanded that of him, it also demanded that he put his life on the line to protect others and his own family. He could deal with those, but there were things he just couldn't see coming.

Turning away for a moment he stared out the window again, his eyes were burning, whether it was from a lack of sleep or the emotions he had been fighting he wasn't sure. In a moment of weakness he blinked and felt the moisture on his cheek.

The lump in his throat prevented him from swallowing, causing him to choke slightly for breath. It was essentially what caused his defences to crumble.

Silent tears rolled down his cheeks.

He hadn't been this vulnerable since the moment he found out Shannon had been ripped away form him. The realisation that Kelly's life could possibly have ended prematurely, brought him down to earth for a moment, and hard. Moving back to the bed he took his seat.

A soft hand pressed against his shoulder, he closed his eyes, not wanting her to see him like this. He had hoped she wouldn't be back so soon. He took a shuddering breath. The other hand tilted his head up, forcing him to look at her, but he refused to open his eyes. Trembling fingers brushed at his cheeks, wiping the tears away. Pulling Jenny against him he buried his face against her abdomen.

A hand rested on the crown of his head and the other on his back, and he drew strength from her.

* * *

The quiet hospital started getting busy as the night sky turned into day. Various nurses came in and out of the room, checking on Kelly and answering any questions that they might have. The only thing they waited for was for Kelly to wake up.

Jethro drank from the tall Styrofoam cup Jenny had given him just before leaving. She was on and errant to fetch him some clean clothes and to find something to eat other than the drab tasteless hospital food, she'd also promised to bring him a cup of decent coffee. He pursed his lips slightly as he looked out over the rest of the city.

He had phoned Joann as early as possible, explaining what had happened. He had listened to her shout at him for not calling her the moment it had happened, and had then sobbed and apologised telling him she'd be there as soon as possible. He had let Ducky know what had happened and the good doctor had offered to call Abby.

The door squeaked open, drawing Jethro's attention. He stared right at a pair of tired brown eyes, he wondered if she had been alone the night before, the dark circles under her eyes suggested that she hadn't slept any more than he had. Finishing the last of his coffee he dropped the empty cup in the bin and motioned for her to sit.

"I will not be staying long." Ziva spoke softly, not wanting to wake the sleeping toddler.

"Too bad, I could use the company." Jethro took his own seat, "Sit Ziva, you won't get any taller by standing around."

The young woman gave him a confused look, not quite understanding what his comment meant, "I do not understand what my height has to do with standing or sitting."

Jethro shook his head, a slight smile gracing his features, "Ziva, just sit down."

The Israeli gave him a prim look before obeying and sitting next to him in one of the plastic chairs. Crossing one leg over the other she took a deep breath and stared at the hospital bed, her thoughts on a different situation that had been more grim than this one.

"I know how you feel about apologising," She started, not looking at the man next to her but something right outside the window.

"Then don't Ziva, there's nothing to be sorry about." Jethro said roughly, he scraped his throat softly.

"And I also do not care what you think," Ziva bit almost snidely, this whole situation was making her uncomfortable, "because I really must apologise for what had happened."

Jethro watched as she twitched her foot nervously, she uncrossed her legs and stood, walking to the window. It was strange how the only escape they saw was through the window. He watched as she clasped her hands behind her back and straighten her shoulders, her whole attitude suggesting that she'd had military training somewhere at a younger age.

He had developed quite the soft spot for the young Mossad officer. He knew she had saved Jenny's life in Prague a year ago and that she had fought tooth and nail to be a liaison officer between Mossad and NCIS. He knew that it had simply been her way of running away from the pain, he'd done the same in a way – leaving California for Washington.

"Last night." Jethro spoke again, this time his voice was smooth and quiet. "It reminded you of Tali." It was a statement, the pain in her eyes was the same as the time she had dropped by his house unannounced. Abandoning his spot he walked to stand next to her.

"Yes," She let out a shuddering breath, "I would never have forgiven myself if I had put you through the pain of losing a child."

Jethro placed a finger under her chin, making her look at him, "Ziva you helped her. This, last night, it could have happened at home as well." he winked at her, "I forgive you, even if it wasn't your fault."

Ziva gave him a watery smile and he pulled her in for a tight hug.

The door flew open announcing the arrival of one Tony DiNozzo and Abby Sciuto. Tony winced as the door banged against the wall loudly, he held up a hand at his boss in apology and closed the door behind them. Abby ignored every one in the room except the tiny person in the bed, she rushed towards it.

"Oh my gosh! She's going to be okay right? Right?" Abby's words came out in a jumble, she looked at everyone panicked, "Right?!"

"Abs, calm down. She's fine." Jethro applied slight pressure to Ziva's shoulder as he spoke.

"Oh Gibbs, are you okay? Are you holding up? I know she means the world to you; I mean why wouldn't she, she's your daughter and it's always tough to go through something like this when it's family. I know you feel for us when we're hurt cause we're family too, but she's like _family_ family-"

"Abby!" They all snapped together. The Goth pressed her lips together tightly, dropping her handbag haphazardly on the floor she rushed towards Gibbs, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Everyone's fine Abs." He whispered and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Ziva stepped away from them and went to stand next to Tony. He draped an arm over her shoulder's casually, or he hoped it was casual. He'd convinced her after copious amounts of alcohol that she stay and she had. She looked up at him through her lashes and her eyes shined a little and he knew she had been close to crying.

Abby entertained them for the next half an hour, taking their minds of the fact that Kelly still hadn't woken up. Jethro was close to chasing them out when a nurse had swooped in and did it for him. Their bickering was grating on his nerves and as much as he appreciated their concern he wanted some peace and quiet.

Kelly twitched slightly and he was by her side, she stirred a little more and felt a brief panic.

A pair cobalt blue eyes stared up at him, Kelly reached up to pull at the cannula but her father stopped her. Seeing her lower lip start to quiver Jethro scooped her up in his arms holding her tightly against him, his eyes closed as he held her. The commotion of the team must have drawn her back to a conscious state of mind.

"Daddy." She whimpered softly, fisting her small hands in his dress shirt.

"Shh, honey, don't cry. I'm here." Jethro tried soothing her, feeling her tears soak through his shirt.

"My throat hurts." She said hoarsely, pressing her face further into her father's side, "Everything hurts." she grumbled and snuggled into her father.

Jethro laughed and stroked her hair comfortingly. She wasn't a very good patient when she was sick or hurting, she constantly nagged about everything and refused to take her medicine saying it tasted icky unless it was flavoured. In retrospect she was her father – just a smaller version.

Jethro called for the nurse, knowing they'd want to check her over now that she was awake. The nurse from earlier appeared, a smile on her face when she saw the little girl awake and brooding slightly.

"I'm nurse Emma." The nurse introduced herself to the little girl, smiling warmly at her young patient, "Do you think you can let go of your daddy while we do some exercises?"

Kelly looked at her father with a frown, her eyes still blinking slowly from fatigue. He nodded at her discreetly and she slid off his lap to look at the nurse, she flopped down on the bed. She did everything the nurse asked her to, she kept fidgeting with the cannula until the nurse took the annoying piece of plastic out of her nose once she proved that she could breathe on her own.

"She seems to have recovered rather quickly. I'll let doctor Connor know she's awake and have him up here as soon as possible, if everything is in order she can go home bright and early tomorrow morning." The nurse turned back to Kelly, "Are you hungry?"

Kelly buried her face in her father's side shyly and crawled onto his lap, "Yes."

The nurse smiled at Jethro and left room.

The day had progressed without any incident, George had dropped by at lunch time and had confirmed the nurse's words. Kelly would be released as soon as her eyes opened the following morning. She had been placed on a one day diet of mashed potatoes and Jell-O just to get something solid in her stomach before she could eat regularly again.

Jethro moved one of the cots to the opposite wall of the rather spacious private room. After everything had calmed down around him and had returned to some semblance of normality, he had found himself increasingly drawn towards Jenny, he'd always been drawn to her but something was different.

He could hear Kelly babble on the other side of the bathroom door, who was still adamantly refusing to take a bath. Jenny had somehow convinced her that taking a shower was far better than bathing and the toddler had agreed. Jethro filed away the information for the next time she refused to get in the tub. He rested his head against the wall and listened to the two of them talk.

"Daddy, Jenny says girls are better than boys." Kelly informed her father matter of factly as she rushed out of the bathroom, looking far better than earlier.

Jethro raised his eyebrows, he didn't want to get into this conversation, they were two against one and Jenny was far better at reasoning than he was. He caught the smirk on Jenny's face as she emerged from the bathroom.

"Eat your Jell-O, Kel." Jethro coaxed, wanting to get her off the topic. He placed her on her bed and pushed the bowl towards her, she poked the Jell-O with her spoon making the gelatine jiggle before starting to eat.

Jethro made sure she ate her food before looking at the woman who was sitting next to him. She was dressed in his t-shirt again and a pair of loose fitting sweatpants and he couldn't help but think she looked sexier in the slightly worn-out clothing. The black dress hadn't hurt but the loose fitting clothes made him far more curious about what was underneath.

She moved a little closer to him, burying her cold feet under his thigh and smiling at him when he felt how cold her toes were. Kelly had refused to be cuddled between them, she was liking the fact that her bed was so high in the air. She'd even asked if her father was willing to build her a bed as high as the hospital bed, he had told her in a rather fatherly way that she should think again.

"You sure you want to stay the night?" Jethro asked quietly, keeping a watchful eye on Kelly as she still poked at her Jell-O occasionally while eating it.

"We've slept together before." She whispered in his ear, causing goosebumps to break out over his arm. He could remember their stakeout vividly. He smirked at her and narrowed his eyes slightly at her insinuation. He pulled her hair playfully and let her rest her head on his shoulder. Taking a breath he turned to look at Kelly as she stuffed jelly in her cheeks, he shook his head, he couldn't remember one occasion where she didn't play with her Jell-O.

He didn't scold her this time, he was content to just watch her.

* * *

The front door swung open with a loud thud, the door hit the wall and tiny feet pattered into the foyer. A poor attempt at a whistle echoed through the quiet house, when there was no movement or noise, the toddler reverted to shouting, "Yoda!"

The sound of nails clattering against the wooden floors sounded above her and she skipped to the bottom step, waiting eagerly for her pup to welcome her home. She squealed excitedly as the young Boston Terrier stormed down the stairs, dropping the sandal he had been chewing so he could lick her face in welcome. He let out something between a bark and a snort and flopped down on his back waiting for his tummy to be scratched.

"I missed you." Kelly informed her fury friend before hugging him to her. Yoda yapped at her happily and licked her in the face, almost in her mouth. She giggled and patted his head softly, scratching his ears when he nudged her hand with his head. He snorted in contentment at the attention.

Jethro pulled his face in disgust as Yoda licked Kelly again, growling at the dog he shooed the both of them into the living room. He glared at the chewed shoe that lay on the steps, it wasn't the first time he'd found something chewed other than the various chew toys he'd bought for the teething pup. He was still glaring when Jenny came in, closing the door behind her.

"I'll pull his teeth if he chews my boots." Jethro muttered darkly, looking at Jenny from the corner of his eye. He ignored her grin and headed to the laundry room, he wasn't looking forward to doing laundry but he had to if he wanted to avoid the pile of clothes to grow even larger.

Ignoring the ever growing pile of laundry, he threw his and Kelly's dirty clothes in the laundry basket and pulled the door shut. He set about starting a pot of coffee, since the diner had freshly run out of his favourite bitter brew just as he wanted a last cup. Kelly had been squeamish just as she finished her food, forcing them to leave the diner quickly. Although he didn't blame her, he didn't want to see the inside of a hospital for a while.

The soft snickering coming form the living room drew him to the door, he peaked around and watched as Kelly and Jenny played with the various toys that always littered the floor. He smiled and turned back to the percolator. Jenny had fallen asleep not long after Kelly had last night, he'd tucked the both of them in before he'd settled in his own cot. It had taken him significantly longer to fall asleep, the last few days had rushed through his mind at warp speed as he tried to sort everything.

Stacking the few dishes in the sink he heard the beep of the percolator and washed two mugs. Pouring a generous amount of coffee in each cup, he found one of Kelly's less used sippy cups and poured her some orange juice. Managing both cups and the sippy cup he trudged to the living room, sinking down on the couch.

Placing his cup near his feet, he moseyed to the fireplace. Stacking a neat pile of firewood in the hearth, it wasn't long before he had a nice fire crackling. Standing to his feet he placed the lighter in the small wooden box he kept on the mantel out of reach of prying little hands. Turning, he saw Yoda slink towards his cup of coffee.

"Yoda," He snapped menacingly, causing Jenny and Kelly to giggle.

"Daddy play with." Kelly demanded sweetly, she gave him a cheeky smile when he huffed and plopped down next to Jenny. He wasn't exactly sure he wanted Jenny to see him act like some darling king, at least the tiaras were safely packed away in Kelly's room.

An hour into their make believe game with Jenny and Kelly, he was extremely glad his daughter was a perfect blend between tomboy and girly. He had been relieved when she had presented him with a bucket of toy soldiers – thanks to Mike Franks – and various miss matched _Dinky Toys_ that had been his as a young boy. There was only one of them that truly mattered and it was safely tucked away with his and Shannon's wedding bands along with his dog tags.

He was currently in possession of _Ken_ , dressed to the nines in Army regalia. He scowled as Jenny as he was forced to act out his part in their little game. The woman in question was playing the part of _Strawberry Shortcake_ , because Kelly had informed them it matched her hair. He remembered the day Joann had given the doll to Kelly telling him that she'd bought it in the spur of the moment, that she'd always thought she'd have a granddaughter, hence the classic 80's look of the doll – but he personally thought it reminded her of Shannon.

"Daddy?" Kelly's small voice broke through his thoughts, drawing an almost apologetic smile from him.

Clearing his throat he raised his eyebrows at her, "Yeah?" he drawled.

"Kiss the bride." She cried happily, waiting with bated breath for his _Ken_ and Jenny's _Strawberry Shortcake_ to kiss.

Jethro scowled at the plastic doll he was stuck with, its mocking smile pissing him off even more. He looked at Jenny who was holding the rag doll up expectantly, looking almost just as anxious as Kelly. Pulling his face slightly, he held the doll out at an acceptable distance for him and had it make the appropriate mwha!, for a kiss.

"No, daddy." Kelly whined, she had a _Troll Doll_ in her hand that had acted as the priest in their little ceremony. Kelly shifted around on her knees and glared at her father, "Make them kiss like you and Jenny kiss."

He wasn't exactly sure which one of them had flushed first, but the pretty shade of pink that tinged Jenny's cheeks made him want to kiss her instead of making their dolls kiss. When both ladies looked at him, he rolled his eyes and made _Ken_ kiss _Strawberry Shortcake_.

Kelly clapped happily when the quick kiss was over and took the toys and tossed them in the plastic box that served the purpose of keeping her toys together, which it never actually did. Yoda was sitting dutifully next to Kelly, a pair of bunny ears on his head courtesy of Jethro Gibbs because he had tried to drink his coffee.

Sighing, Kelly hopped to her feet and walked to where her father was seated on the floor. She looked at him a little shyly, something she did when she was asking him something he might say no to. Wrinkling her nose at him cutely, Kelly placed her small chubby hands on his cheeks, rubbing his stubble lightly. "Daddy," she gave him a toothy grin, "can we have s'mores?"

Jethro narrowed his eyes at her, pretending to think it over. It was a small treat they indulged in whenever there was a fire crackling in the hearth and they had some time before bed.

"I guess," He pressed his forehead against hers, "think Jenny wants some?"

Kelly skipped towards the redhead and crawled onto her lap, "Jenny, do you like s'mores?"

Jethro shook his head at his daughter's attempt at starting a conversation.

Jenny listened intently as Kelly told her exactly how her daddy made her s'mores and that she wasn't allowed near the fireplace at all. She'd long since lost track of time and had pushed the thought that she had to go home out of her mind. She was ever so often reminded of what happened when Kelly had her second attack, and in all honesty she didn't feel like returning to her empty house.

"Did you make s'mores with your daddy?" Kelly asked as she twirled one of Jenny's red locks around her finger.

Jenny was slightly caught off guard by the question, she almost thought about saying no but she couldn't get it over her heart to lie, "Uh, yeah, sometimes."

Jethro narrowed his eyes as he stood in the dining room, Jenny never mentioned family or leaned in that direction. She always changed the subject before someone could pry any further, he'd noticed she had done the same when they were visiting his father. He had pretended he hadn't heard her, and he was going to ignore it again for the sake of keeping the peace between them, but he was going to corner her sooner or later.

"We're all out of cracker's and chocolate, Kel. So we'll just have the marshmallows." Jethro took his seat next to Jenny in front of the fireplace and handed her a stick to spear her marshmallows with.

Placing Kelly on his lap he let her place the fluffy white marshmallow on the end of the stick. Taking it from her he held it over the naked flame, letting the marshmallow melt on the inside and waiting for it to turn light brown. Letting the marshmallow drop in a small paper plate, they waited for it to cool before Kelly could eat it.

Jenny placed her marshmallow in her plate, pulling it apart to allow the gooey inside to cool down a little. She dipped her finger in it and nibbled the stickiness off her finger, unaware that she was being watched. She wrinkled her nose when the marshmallow had cooled too much to do it again. Her eyes suddenly snapped to a pair of cobalt blues, his eyes met hers and she felt her stomach flutter in anticipation.

"Want some?" She asked, holding her half eaten marshmallow out to him.

"No," He said gruffly, "don't like 'em on their own."

Jenny nodded still sucking on her finger. It didn't really surprise her, he was picky when it came to sweets.

Kelly had fallen asleep halfway through eating her melted marshmallow, and had smeared the sticky sweet all over her father's jeans.

Jenny was on the couch, her legs stretched out in front of her, one arm behind her head and the other resting limply on her abdomen. She could hear Jethro's heavy footsteps as he moved around upstairs. She bit her lip, she knew she had to leave and was surprised at how reluctant she was to actually leave.

Watching the flames as they danced, she relaxed even further. She couldn't get the image of Jethro crying out of her mind. It never occurred to her that, much like the rest of them, he was a living breathing human being. He had a certain image about him, nothing could touch him or affect him. But she'd come to a startling realisation that he felt more deeply than any of them actually did.

She'd allowed a few stray tears of her own to slip. Seeing little Kelly go through such a reaction had almost ripped her apart. She was the sweetest little girl and seeing her in such pain had hurt. Jenny knew she didn't have the slightest idea of what it was like to have a child of her own, but she loved Kelly as if she were her own.

There was a faint grumble above her and the clatter of something followed by Yoda's paws on the wooden floors. She smiled faintly, Jethro adored the dog and tried to hide it by grumbling over every nitty gritty thing he did. Sitting up she looked around for all her belongings, trying to locate everything, she probably needed to go home.

Pulling on her coat she swung her backpack over her shoulder, she wasn't even sure why she'd brought it with her in the first place. Finding the keys to the sedan in the bowl near the front door, she stuffed the keys in her pocket and waited for the heavy footsteps to come down the stairs. She was contemplating throwing caution to the wind, but she wasn't sure it was the right time.

Jethro thundered down the stairs, the Boston Terrier hot on his heels chasing after him. Jethro stopped on the bottom step, looking at Jenny as she stood at the front door, looking torn between leaving and staying. He stuffed his hands in his jeans, wondering if she'd caught a case in the few minutes he'd been away, he hadn't hear her phone.

"Case?" He asked a little gruffly.

Jenny smiled slightly and shook her, adjusting her backpack's strap a little on her shoulder, "No, but it's getting late. Thought that after the weekend you had, you might want to turn in early." it sounded pathetic even to her own ears.

Jethro nodded tersely, stepping off the last step to at least open the door for her. His face was suddenly unreadable. He opened the door slowly allowing her to step out before him. He didn't want her to go, he'd been looking forward to spending some time with her, away from a stuffy over priced restaurant and the panic that accompanied an impersonal hospital room.

Jenny turned on the porch, the dim yellow light making her hair glow prettily. Jethro was right behind her, invading her personal space like he usually did. She rested a hand on his chest, her finger tracing the printed insignia on his t-shirt. Looking up into those startling beautiful blue eyes she placed a hand on his cheek.

"Night Jethro." She stood on her tip toes, pressing a kiss to his lips.

Jethro closed his eyes as she kissed him slowly. He felt her pull away and he wrapped his fingers around her small wrist, stopping her from pulling away any further. He took a slow and deep breath.

Tugging a little she came stumbling towards him, falling against his chest unsteadily. Finding her footing she looked up at him and glared for his slight manhandling. Jethro smirked at her smugly, bringing a roughened palm up to her cheek, he caressed the soft skin with his thumb and watched as her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing became a little heavy.

Jethro leaned down, resting his forehead against hers, his hand still touching her cheek softly. He let go of her wrist and snaked his arm around her, placing his hand on her lower back and pressing her body against his.

"Jenny…" Jethro said huskily, he ran his thumb over her bottom lip, parting her lips slightly. He kissed her again, nibbling her lower lip softly. "Stay."

"Jethro..." Jenny trailed off when he pulled away. She didn't know if they were ready for this step, if _he_ was ready. "We agreed..."

"Don't think I can take things slow any more, Jen." Jethro placed both hands on her hips, he wanted to look at her to gauge her emotions. "If you wanna wait, I'll respect that." Jethro pressed his lips to hers again, kissing her hungrily, nipping her bottom lip gently. She moaned low in her throat. The small voice in her head screaming that after this there'd be no turning back. She parted her lips, eager to taste him again.

Jethro fisted his hands in the red locks, angling her head so he could deepen their kiss. He could feel Jenny grab his hips, pulling him against her. He was surprised at the force with which she kissed him back, and he found himself wanting her even more.

"Jethro," Jenny panted once they broke away, "I don't want to complicate things more than they have to be."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." He kissed her cheek softly, lingering longer than usual.

"You're very convincing." He chuckled softly, the playful glint in his eyes causing her stomach to flutter.

Jenny laced her hands in his cropped hair and pulled his mouth down to hers. She kissed him once, then twice before kissing him feverishly. Jethro pulled her against him, wrapping her in his arms. She pulled away again, licking her lips.

"I think I'll stay." Jenny smiled shyly. Jethro grinned down at her before crashing his lips to hers.

The fire was still crackling in the hearth, the only source of light in the living room. Jenny was sprawled out on the couch, staring into the bright orange flames. The room felt hotter than usual, her skin still hot from the long shower she'd had. Jethro had left her to take her time after he'd had a quick shower, she had used the time to sort through her thoughts. She lay contentedly on the couch, breathing in the smell of his clothes.

Pushing herself up she leaned back, relaxing some more, she'd spent half her time in the shower telling herself that staying was a bad idea. She heard footsteps and lifted her head off the back of the couch, watching Jethro pad across the wooden floor towards her, a cup in each hand. She smiled at him lazily as he eyed her in his clothing.

Jethro handed her one of the steaming mugs, taking a seat next to her and stretching out. She sat crossed legged on the couch, cradling the mug in her hands. She was all too aware of Jethro next to her as he drank his coffee slowly. She sipped the dark liquid in her mug, and was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't the usual bitter brew.

It was hard to distinguish hot chocolate from coffee in the light from the fire. Jenny licked her lips and took another sip from the mug, humming in appreciation. Moving towards him, she curled into his side, her lips right next to his ear, "Didn't think you were the hot chocolate type, Jethro."

"You complainin'?" He asked with a slight growl in his voice.

"That's not what I said. But I do want to applaud your hot-beverage-making skills." She breathed in his hear, watching as his hand tightened on the ear of his mug.

"Mhmm." Jethro hummed, eyeing her warily.

Jenny rolled her eyes, his contentment to communicate in grunts and growls sometimes frustrated her, but it was endearing in a comforting way.

Jethro pried her mug from her hands, placing it on the coffee table with his empty one, she was about to protest that she wasn't finished yet. He pressed a finger against her full lips, his eyes dark as he stared at her mouth, his eyes roamed over her face as he moved closer to her.

Jethro kissed her softly at first, coaxing her slowly into a deeper kiss. He ran his tongue over her lips lightly, silently asking for access, her lips parted and he plunged forward their tongues touching. She tasted like chocolate and marshmallows, and he couldn't remember it ever tasting so good. He grabbed her thigh and pulled her on his lap, both hands resting on her hips, pulling her against him.

He trailed soft kisses over her jaw, enjoying the way she tugged his hair a little roughly when he nipped the sensitive skin in her neck. He soothed the spot with his tongue before moving down. Her pulse fluttered against his lips as he kissed her pulse point. She placed her small hands on either side of his head and tilted his head back, making him look at her.

Jenny pressed her lips against his, drawing him into a kiss and pulling away as he tried to deepen it. He growled at her and she smiled at him wickedly, pressing an open mouthed kiss on his jaw before moving lower. Jenny felt his roughened hands sneak under the oversized t-shirt, his thumbs digging into the soft skin he found.

Jethro's stubble scratched the soft skin of her throat, sending a jolt straight to her stomach. She moaned in his ear as he did it again, "Jethro." he simply kissed the underside of her jaw and turned his attention back to placing kisses along her clavicle. His one hand snaked up her side, his fingers caressing her ribs for a moment before he cupped her breast.

Fisting her hand in his cropped hair she pulled his head back and crashed her mouth against his. She bit his lip a little harder than was necessary and drew a strangled groan from him. She soothed the spot with her tongue, before kissing him deeply, causing his hand on her hip to grip more tightly. He tasted like the bitter brew he loved so much and something sweet that she couldn't quite place.

A growl behind them made both of them freeze.

Jethro looked over Jenny's shoulder to see Yoda staring at them, his rope chew toy between his teeth as he growled at them again. He leaned down on his forelegs with his behind in the air, shaking his small tail ecstatically. He yapped again when neither of them made a move to play with him.

"Scram." Jethro growled at the pup, glaring at him darkly for interrupting. Yoda barked again, his whole body shaking as he shook his tail in excitement.

"I hate that damn dog." Jethro growled against Jenny's cheek as he kissed her lightly.

Jenny laughed a little breathlessly, she leaned her forehead against his and kissed the tip of his nose. "Maybe we should move this else where." She suggested softly.

"I'll lock up, meet you upstairs?" He asked as he kissed along her jaw, he felt her nod and let her slip off his lap and stand to her feet.

Jethro watched as Jenny waltzed across the room, throwing a sultry look over her shoulder just before she disappeared up the stairs. He turned to glare at the Boston Terrier for having extremely bad timing. The pup dropped the rope at his feet and looked at him in anticipation. Jethro rolled his eyes and kicked the knotted rope across the floor.

Yoda shot up the stairs once all the lights down stairs were out, his chew toy still in his mouth. Jethro trudged after him, following him to Kelly's room. His little girl was fast asleep in her bed, cuddled up with her turtle and bear on either side.

Lifting the comforter Jethro glared at the dog until he dropped his toy dejectedly and jumped on the bed, curling up around Kelly's feet. Tucking the two of them in Jethro moved the few stray curls off Kelly's forehead and kissed her temple before heading back into the hall.

Jethro pushed the door open slowly, he poked his head around the door and looked to where Jenny was seated on the edge of the bed, playing with the delicate gold chain around her neck. He smiled at her, trying to put her at ease and slipped into the room, closing and locking the door behind him. By the looks of things she felt as nervous as he did.

* * *

"I think our mood has been ruined." Jenny let out a laugh as she spoke, watching as Jethro relaxed against the door. He grinned at her and shook his head a little, probably cursing the dog for interrupting.

"C'mere, Jen." He held out his hand towards her. Jethro watched as she sauntered towards him, the oversized t-shirt and sweatpants only making him want her more. He'd seen her topless before but he knew his memory did her body no justice.

Jenny leaned against him, her bottom lip drawn between her teeth as she bit it sexily. He ran his thumb over her lips, pulling her bottom lip from between her teeth. He leaned down and ran his tongue over the marks her teeth had left. He took advantage of her soft gasp and kissed her with tongue and teeth, biting her bottom lip and lapping the spot with his tongue.

She fisted her hands in his shirt and pushed him against the door, her knuckles digging into his chest a little. She kissed him and bit him in return, making him groan low in his throat. She was aggressive and fighting him for control each step of the way, and it was turning him on quicker than he would have liked to admit.

Jenny pulled away and placed kisses along his jaw, making him growl as she nipped his skin and then sucked the spot, no doubt leaving a blooming mark. She kissed down to the hollow of his throat and heard a thud as he dropped his head back against the door, his hands gripping her hips almost painfully. She grinned against his skin and dropped her hands to the hem of his shirt.

Pulling the old t-shirt over his head, she threw it somewhere and took a step back to admire him for a second. He was lean and muscular, his body more defined than built, but the smattering of hair on his chest made her lunge for him again – she'd always liked a guy with a little hair on his chest. She bit him a little hard on his pectoral muscle and heard his sharp intake of breath.

"Take it you're a biter, not a screamer." Jethro husked in her ear drawing her ear lobe between his teeth and smirking when her skin broke out in goosebumps.

Jenny snapped her teeth at him playfully, "Guess you'll have to find out."

Jethro growled low in his throat and pulled the t-shirt off of her. He raked his eyes over her naked torso – he knew she wasn't wearing bra from his earlier exploration of her breast – but watching her nipples pebble as the cold air in his bedroom touched her skin made him yearn for her even more.

Jenny slid her hands in Jethro's hair as he lowered his mouth to her breasts, his hot mouth closing over one of them. She moaned as he sucked gently, swirling his tongue and setting her entire body on fire. She could feel her arousal coil in the pit of her stomach. "Mmm, Jethro."

He hummed against her breast before moving to the other one, giving it the same treatment. She threw her head back and let him have his way, taking a moment to enjoy the pleasure he was so kindly bestowing upon her. She gasped softly when he crashed his lips against hers and picked her up to wrap her legs around his waist.

Jethro lowered her down gently on the cool sheets – running his hands over her reverently as he knelt on the bed, towering over her. He clenched is jaw tightly as he looked down at her; her enticing red hair spread out over his pillows, her porcelain skin flushed and her eyes clouded with arousal. He had to stop himself from ending everything before it even began.

Jenny raked her nails over Jethro's abdomen, watching the muscles ripple under his skin as he clenched his stomach. She grinned at him wickedly and slipped her hands further down his body, rubbing over the growing bulge of his sweatpants. She hooked her fingers in the waistband and slowly started inching the material down.

Taking advantage of his current state she flipped him onto his back before divesting him of his sweatpants and boxers. He lay naked underneath her, his pupils fully dilated as he stared up at her, his chest rising and falling quickly with excitement. She licked her lips as her eyes flicked down to his arousal, enjoying the way his muscles strained with her action. She leaned down and bit his nipple gently, smiling when she felt his chest vibrate with silent laughter.

Jethro struggled to keep his eyes open as she took him in her soft firm hand. It had been far too long for him to be able to endure such attention without embarrassing himself. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and stopped her ministrations, "Jenny," he swallowed, "it's been a while."

She nodded and leaned down to kiss him, the soft cotton of her sweatpants rubbing against him. He growled low in his throat and flipped her underneath him. Taking the oversized sweatpants off her, he took a moment to appreciate her body.

Jethro placed a chaste kiss on her lips before heading down her body. He ran his tongue over her clavicle before heading to her breasts again. He kissed the sensitive skin tenderly, and moved down her abdomen. He moved further down her body, pulling her one leg over his shoulder. He kissed over her hipbones, kissing the faint bruises left from his fingers.

"Oh, Jethro," The breathlessness in her voice alerted him that she hadn't expected him to pay such intimate attention to her.

Jenny moaned loudly as he ran his tongue over her expertly, his skilled fingers slipping inside her. She bit her lip and fisted her hands in the bedsheets, trying to regulate her breathing. She couldn't remember the last time a man had paid attention to her needs. Her breathing came in soft sharp gasps as he continued.

Jethro stopped the moment he felt her muscles flutter and contract around his fingers. The disappointed noise she made the back of her throat drew a smile from him, he dropped a kiss to the inside of her thigh before he crawled back up her body. He was painfully hard and he couldn't hold out any longer.

"You're a bastard." Jenny panted softly as he settled between her legs.

She drew a ragged breath as she felt his arousal press against her, "On second thought maybe not." she felt him smile against her neck.

Jethro pushed himself up with one hand, the other sliding underneath Jenny to rest on her lower back.

Jenny watched as a brief moment of insecurity flashed in his eyes. She placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him tenderly, silently reassuring him. She wondered briefly if he'd had been with anyone after his wife but pushed the thought away quickly.

Snaking a hand between them, she took him in her hand and guided him. He slid into her slowly before stopping for a moment, giving her some time to adjust to him. Jenny wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively, both arms wrapping around his shoulders.

Jethro grit his teeth against the overwhelming need to give into his need to take her hard and fast, she was so warm and tight. He pulled back slightly before thrusting slowly into her. She mewled in his ear, and it was the only encouragement he needed. He forced his eyes open and watched as she bit her lip in pure pleasure, rocking her hips against his.

Picking up the pace, they rocked together in perfect rhythm. Jenny raked her nails down his back, her heels digging into his ass to make him go deeper. He slammed his hips into hers a little more forcefully, his hand on her back lifting her hips slightly, hitting her just right.

"Oh, oh, Jethro..." She moaned again, "Right there." she was close.

Sinking her teeth into his shoulder, she fisted one hand in his hair the other clutching his butt cheek, her nails pricking his skin. Jethro felt Jenny's muscles flutter around him before her entire body tensed and she moaned into his shoulder. He pulled his arm out from under her, finding one of her hands and lacing his fingers with hers.

Jenny felt Jethro stiffen above her before an intense warmth spreading through her. His hot breath was on her cheek as he started to relax, she wrapped her arms around him keeping him close for a little while longer.

"I'll crush you." Jethro whispered.

He held her close and moved them to lay on their sides. She winced slightly as he slipped out of her, and pulled her tightly against him.

* * *

They lay breathless entwined with each other, their bodies slick with precipitation. They were quiet in their post coital haze, exchanging an occasional kiss. Jenny placed her hand on Jethro's chest, feeling his heart still hammering against his ribs, the same way hers was. He took her hand in his much larger one, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

She looked at him for a while, her emerald eyes meeting his. His eyes were bright in colour, the usual guarded look gone for a moment. She knew things between them had shifted, it had shifted the moment he had broken down in front of her in a brief moment of weakness.

Swallowing she moved a little closer to him, having a sudden inexplicable need to be near him. He ran his free hand over her side, up to her cheek, stroking the soft skin with his calloused thumb. She smiled at him and pressed her lips to his. They shared a passion filled kiss before they broke apart.

"Jethro," She spoke softly not wanting to break the quiet moment between them.

"Mhmm?" He hummed in question, twirling her red locks around his fingers.

Jenny kissed him again, trying to draw strength and courage from his silence. He looked at her with his cobalt blue eyes and for a moment she lost her nerve, but the softness in his eyes put her a little at ease.

"I love you."

Jenny stared at him with large green eyes. She could see that he'd momentarily shut down, he didn't pull away but she could see that he'd been caught off guard. His eyes were guarded again and for a moment she feared that he was going to reject her in some way.

Jethro didn't answer her, he simply met her gaze and kissed her deeply. He buried his face in her neck and let out a shuddering breath. She could feel him mouth something against her skin. She felt her heartache at the pain she'd seen in his eyes. She held him close, willing to let him draw strength from her.

She was willing to give him time.

* * *

 _You were expecting a 'That'll be the day' didn't you? Maybe next time. ;) I've always thought Gibbs has the ability to cry even if he doesn't. I know I pushed the peanut thing, but sadly I'm not a doctor. Reviews are welcome :)_


	12. Undeniable Truth

_**Disclaimer:** _I don't own anything you recognize._ _Except for the mistakes those are mine.__

 ** _A/N_** **:** _You lovely reader just know how to make my day, thank you for your lovely reviews. To the new followers, welcome._ _I have to apologise – my thoughts on th_ _is_ _chapter w_ _ere_ _pretty much like our weather, scattered._ _There are a few parts that seem rushed, I apologise._

 ** _Warning_** **:** _There's some adult fun, but nothing too explicit._ _Also this story's time line is way off, so imagine it's just before Christmas ;)_

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

The car was warm as they drove through the streets of Washington DC. Every store and business in every street was starting to decorate for Christmas – too early for Jethro's taste. His whole team had been going on about their plans for the festive holiday, and Abby had taken it upon herself to spread the annual Christmas cheer amongst the agency and its agents.

He wasn't really one for celebrating, Kelly had been a baby their first Christmas without Shannon, and she'd still been a little too young and sick their last Christmas to actually spend it with anyone. They had stayed home and binge watched the holiday movies on TV – the basement had been far too cold for a sick Kelly.

Jenny had informed him one night in bed that the festive season was one of her favourites, and that he would be forced to celebrate it whether he wanted to or not. He hadn't argued he'd simply kissed her to shut her up about the reds and greens of the season and made her forget about it all together for a while.

He was inclined to celebrate this year since Kelly had told him she wanted the biggest Christmas tree in the city. It was evident that she had inherited her mother's love for Christmas and could now share it with Jenny. But Christmas was still a good month and a few days away and he was determined to be Grinch-like until then.

"Kelly, stop kicking the seat." Jethro scolded as she kicked her brand new _All Star_ sneakers against the seat.

"Sorry." Kelly giggled.

Jethro nodded his head and turned his attention back to the traffic. Yoda had chewed almost half of the shoes Kelly owned, and Kelly's favourite pair of sneakers. He had threatened to pull the dog's teeth which only resulted in Kelly crying and Jenny glaring at him, despite the fact that he had chewed a pair of her heels as well.

Jethro shook his head, he'd never understand women. Grabbing the ballerina invite off of the passenger seat, he checked to make sure that he was still on time. Kelly had been invited to Maddie's birthday party and he was feeling a little apprehensive about it. Maddie's mother had assured him that she'd personally check that there weren't even the slightest hint of peanuts mixed with the snacks, but he still worried.

"You excited, Kel?" Jethro watched in the rear view mirror as Kelly nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes! Maddie invited Kyle, and he is bringing his _Luke Skywalker_. I told him my dog is named Yoda and he said it was cool, so I told him that he can visit our house and then we can play with Yoda. I also told him that Jenny's house is big and that we can play hide and seek there."

Jethro shook his head, Kelly had adopted Abby's knack for rambling without stopping. He could have sworn she was more excited about seeing Kyle than she was about spending the night at Maddie's. He liked the young boy, he liked him more than Chris, that kid was a living nightmare pumped full of sugar.

Jethro flashed his badge at the guard posted at the gate that led into Quantico Marine Base. The young marine nodded at him in recognition and opened the boom gate to let them through. Kelly was growing increasingly restless in the back. He navigated the familiar streets of the base housing with ease, looking for the bright pink balloons that would indicate the right house.

"Kelly sit still." Jethro scolded again as Kelly fiddled with the buckle of her safety belt. He rolled his eyes when she ignored him and unclipped the belt. He didn't want to scold her before he had to drop her off.

Jethro helped Kelly out of the car, carrying her small duffel bag and the perfectly wrapped birthday present for Maddie, which Jenny had helped pick out since he had no idea what to get. The front door to the house flew open and a whole gaggle of kids rushed out. Jethro's eyes widened as they headed straight for him, each of them asking questions at the same time.

The three girls instantly banded together, whispering and giggling as they looked up at Jethro. Rose looked up at him curiously, studying him intently her pale blue eyes narrowing a little, "Hi." she greeted him and turned back to Kelly and Maddie and they headed straight for the house. Two of the boys were rough housing on the grass, Jethro glared at the two of them slightly. One of them was Chris and the other kid with the floppy blond hair was Jake.

"Hey, Gunny." Daniel greeted as he made his way towards the older man.

"Dan," Jethro nodded, still eyeing the little boys warily.

He felt something tug on his arm a little, looking down he met a familiar face, "Hi, mister Gibbs. Thank you for bringing Kelly." Kyle gave him a grin.

Jethro ruffled his hair and watched as he tackled the two boys on the grass.

"Glad I've got a little girl." Daniel piped up as he watched the three boys roll around on the grass. "Hey! Break it up and get inside!" The three boys jumped up and headed for the house, each looking a little glum for being forced to stop their game.

"Hate to be you." Jethro informed him as he handed over the duffel bag and present. "Kelly's _EpiPen_ is in the right pocket. If any-"

"Gunny she'll be fine. Michelle told me what happened, I made sure there are no peanuts." Daniel smirked at his friend and swung the bag over his shoulder.

Jethro looked at the house, he didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to Kelly. He turned back to Daniel, stuffing his hands in his coat, trying to fend off the cold, "What time should I pick her up?"

"About nine-ish." Jethro nodded. He looked up sharply when the front door swung open and the three boys thundered down the steps only to fall down on the grass again and tackle each other.

Jethro nodded a goodbye to Daniel before getting in the car. He blew on his hands a little to warm them up, watching as Daniel yelled at the three boys again to get back in the house. Jethro shook his head, hoping that Kelly wouldn't invite all of them over in a few months time for her birthday.

Traffic had dwindle considerably as he drove back to Georgetown. He'd been reminded once again of how quickly Kelly was growing up with the fact that she _forgot_ to say him goodbye. It was becoming clearer each day that he wasn't the center of her little world any more, and in a way it saddened him. Pretty soon she'd probably refuse that they cuddled together while watching TV.

He glared at the Christmas decorations as he entered the posh area of DC, wanting to blame his sudden melancholy on the dreaded festive season. A car hooted for him to move along and he turned his dark glare on the car behind him in the rear view mirror. Resisting the urge to lock him up for something – anything that would make him feel better.

He turned onto the quiet residential street that would take him to Jenny's old Georgetown mansion. They had fallen into a routine rather quickly, they divided their time into weekdays at his house and weekends at hers. When he had a case, Jenny would pick Kelly up and take her home and make them some dinner and get her ready for bed. When he thought about it, it frightened him how normal it felt to be around her and how she had sorted their rather chaotic lifestyle, into an organised one.

Jethro pulled into her driveway, parking right in front of the garage, he wasn't sure if she was home yet. Grabbing his own duffel bag from the back seat, he slammed the door shut. He walked the short distance between the garage and the back door quickly, eager to get out of the cold. The delicious smell of lamb pot roast hit him as he opened the door and he felt his stomach growl.

Noemi was darting around the kitchen, putting away clean dishes and checking on her roast from time to time. Jethro smirked to himself, he always made her jump when he suddenly appeared behind her, and tonight was no different. The Hispanic woman turned and walked right into him, letting out a low hiss of breath and a noise between panic and annoyance.

"Jethro!" She hit him with the dish towel in her hand as he laughed at her, "One day you give me heart attack."

"Nah, you're too young for that." He flinched as she hit him with the dish towel again for good measure. He gave her a hug, before flinging his duffel in the hall and taking a seat at the island. "Jenny say when she was coming home?"

"No, she was here at lunch time, said something about paper." Noemi placed the coffee carafe in front of him with a cup. "How was young Kelly, she cry when you drop her off?"

Jethro shook his head, taking a long drink from the coffee, "She didn't say goodbye."

"The excitement must have been too much. You should no feel bad, Jenny's papa he too feel the same when Jenny was little." Noemi placed the last of the dishes away, hanging the dish towel on a hook and taking a seat across from Jethro.

"Jenny, doesn't talk 'bout family much, take it you know why." Jethro asked quietly, noting the far away look in the older woman's eyes. He'd realised rather quickly that Noemi was more than just Jenny's housekeeper, they had the kind of relationship that a parent and child would have. He'd tried getting information out of Noemi since Jenny never even spoke about family.

"She has a hard time forgiving, and she had too much heartache." It was a cryptic reply and he sensed that Noemi wasn't going to divulge the dirty details of the Shepard family. He leaned forward wanting to – in a way – interrogate the woman on what she knew, but the front door flew open just as he was about to speak.

"Noemi, you better not still be her." Jenny singsonged as she made her way into the kitchen. "I hope he didn't force you to make him coffee." Jenny glared at Jethro before turning to Noemi, "Leave, he won't wait forever."

Jethro watched as Noemi wagged a finger at Jenny in mock sternness before abandoning her seat. She grabbed her purse that lay on the marble counter and walked up to him, "Kelly will always need her papa." She winked at him and patted his shoulder, giving Jenny a kiss goodbye she left them to enjoy their night and go on her date.

Jenny took a mug from the cupboard and filled it with coffee, "You parked in front of my garage. Now my sleek German sports car has to share the driveway with a federal car."

Jethro spun around on the barstool, pulling Jenny to stand between his legs, "Your Audi isn't a sports car Jen, it's just a fancy sedan with unnecessary gadgets."

"You're just jealous." Jenny grinned against his mouth as he rolled his eyes at her.

She leaned down and kissed him slowly. They didn't have the time this morning to actually say hello, since they had overslept and had to drop Kelly of at preschool, and try and be on time for work. DiNozzo had suffered great amounts of head trauma during the day for constantly reminding them.

Jethro pulled her closer, his hands immediately sliding underneath her clothing to touch her. He groaned when she pulled away, laughing at him and kissing his cheek. She took a seat next to him and sipped her coffee, her knee occasionally bumping into his as she moved around on the barstool.

"Where's Yoda?" Jenny looked around the kitchen, expecting to see the over energised dog bouncing around or chewing on his toys. It had been a challenge to keep everything valuable and chewable far away from Yoda since he started teething, even a few of Kelly's toys had suffered.

"Don't know. Probably chewing his way through your closet." Jethro grumbled as he refilled his mug.

Jenny rolled her eyes, Jethro's displeasure was all thanks to the fact that Yoda had spent an entire day chewing his favourite pair of boots. Lacing her fingers in his hair she pulled his head down and kissed his temple in a patronising way, grinning when she felt his brow crease in a glare.

"I guess I'll have to buy you a new pair for your birthday." She whispered in his ear before abandoning her seat. It amused her how grumpy Jethro could get when there was the slightest mention of Christmas or in this case his birthday.

"I don't want anything." He growled, making his way to the sink to rinse out his now empty mug. He moseyed to where she was in front of the stove, checking the pot roast. He slipped his arms around her waist pulling her flush against him, dropping his head to her shoulder. He kissed her neck softly, breathing her in and hugging her tight.

Jenny frowned, she'd seen the change in his mood the moment she'd walked through the front door. It had taken her a while to fully understand what he occasionally needed, when he wanted her close and when she had to give him some space. They had stepped on each other's toes a few times since living together, but they'd quickly learned to gauge the other's body language first.

He was clingy that much she knew, it was sweet at times and sometimes down right annoying when she tried to roll away from him when the heat was too much, and he'd find her and pull her right back into his chest. Tonight was different he looked almost sad and conflicted, knowing he'd be prissy when she told him that she could see he was feeling down, she tried cornering him in a different way.

"What were you and Noemi talking about when I came in?" She placed the lid back on the pot and turned the heat down, slipping from his grip and rummaging around for plates.

Jethro glared at himself in the glass cabinet, he wanted to ask her about her family but he was more concerned about keeping the peace for now. She would no doubt kick him out and he wasn't feeling like spending the night alone with his boat. He'd would probably end up drinking too much if he were alone because he was convinced Kelly was going to forget about him when she was all grown up.

"Kelly forgot to say goodbye." He mumbled as he found eating utensils.

Jenny bit her lip, trying to hide the smile that threatened to slip. She'd learned over the last month that Jethro Gibbs was a big softy when it came to his little girl and that Kelly was the only one who held the power to truly hurt his feelings. She placed his plate in front of him, giving him a smile and kissing his forehead.

"It was probably just all the excitement. Sleepovers are a big deal for little girls." Jenny informed him as she poured them each a glass of wine.

Jethro narrowed his eyes at her. He was trying to imagine her in pink pyjamas and bunny slippers, but it was almost impossible. He'd seen her handle a gun and he'd spent a number of nights with her behind closed doors to know that Jenny Shepard was anything but innocent – she was down right sinful.

They were halfway through their dinner when Yoda decided to prance into the kitchen, his new favourite chew toy between his teeth as he dragged it across the floor. Dropping the boot near Jethro's feet, he jumped against his leg whining softly. Jethro glared at the pup, "What? Eating my boots aren't enough so now you want my food too." he snapped.

Jenny shook her head and calling Yoda, she reached down and scratched his head, slipping him a piece of meat. She could feel Jethro growl and glare next to her, but she simply ignored him. She scrunched her nose at Yoda as he jumped up against her leg and she cooed at him.

"Jenny," Jethro whined as he glared at her and the pup, "I try teaching him manners and you teach him to misbehave."

"He's still a baby, Jethro, and he's teething. He needs some extra love." Jenny gave the dog another piece of meat and kicked his shoe across the floor for him to gnaw on in peace.

Jethro muttered under his breath and turned back to his own plate. They fell back into companionable silence. Jethro drank some of his wine, lost in thought.

He watched her out the corner of his eyes. He'd been caught off guard when Jenny had told him that she loved him. It had brought things to the surface that he'd hardly ever felt since Shannon had died. He always told Kelly he loved her, but it was different, that much he knew.

Jenny didn't throw the words around casually, she had said it once and he knew she meant it with all her heart, she didn't try to make him feel bad either by mentioning the fact that he couldn't say it back. He'd tried to say it, but each time his mouth went dry and the words slammed together in his throat. He tried showing her that he felt the same, but he couldn't help but think that she might not see it.

"Jethro?" Jenny called as she looked at him from where she stood near the sink.

"What?" Jenny looked at him strangely before holding the coffee carafe up. He nodded his reply, shovelling the last of his food in his mouth and pushing his plate away. Jenny motioned for him to follow her once she had filled both cups.

Jethro watched as she sashayed down the hall, admiring the swing of her hips. He grinned to himself, knowing she was doing it on purpose. He looked down at Yoda who had his boot in his mouth, glaring, he took the boot from Yoda and tangled it behind him.

Jethro held the boot up in the air, out of reach from Yoda. He looked over at Jenny who was seated on the leather couch in front of the fireplace. Throwing the boot into the foyer he took a seat next to her. It wasn't often they got to enjoy a quiet Friday night. Kelly usually demanded all their attention and it was rare that both of them were home without paperwork that needed to be done.

"This whole thing with Kelly is really getting to you, isn't it?" Jenny asked quietly and he simply grunted at her.

He was brooding more than usual. Jethro wasn't the type of person to walk around declaring his likes and dislikes. She didn't even know he disliked Christmas until she'd asked him if he had any decorations they could put up. He did smile though he wasn't completely emotionless, but he wouldn't tell her when something bothered him, he just – brooded.

Taking the coffee cup from his hands she placed it on the coffee table along with hers. Kicking off her heels she pulled her hair free of the hair band. She crawled onto his lap, straddling his hips, she bumped her nose against his affectionately and kissed his lips softly. "I have a proposition for you, to make you feel better."

Biting his bottom lip gently, she kissed him deeply, cupping the back of his head and pulling is head back. He groaned at the slightly painful tug on his hair, which turned into muffled moan as she slipped her tongue in his mouth.

He pulled away his eyes the darkest of blues as he looked at her with hungry eyes, "Does it involve you bein' naked?"

The room was hot and steamy, the large mirror steamed up from the intense heat inside the room. The room smelled like lavender and something exotic that was purely Jenny, Jethro allowed the scent to wrap around him and lock itself away as one of the best smells he'd ever come across. He hadn't been this relaxed in a while and he didn't give much thought to the things that bothered him.

Jenny was resting against his chest, her fingertips dipping into the hot foamy bathwater from time to time, causing gentle ripples to race across the surface. Jethro drew his fingers over her abdomen, tracing the faint outline of her muscles and sending goosebumps to break out over her skin. She let out a quiet breath as he cupped her breasts and kissed down the column of her throat, his stubble grazing her skin gently.

"You keep that up, we might never get out of this tub." Jenny purred softly. She felt his teeth sink into the skin on her shoulder gently before he pulled her against him again.

Jethro ran his toe across the arch of her foot, causing her to squirm at the tickling sensation it caused. Jenny pressed her elbow into his thigh when he laughed softly behind her. She tried doing the same to him, but he pinned her feet down under his. Jenny laughed, turning and pressing a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

Jethro reached up, sliding his fingers into her hair. The tendrils that had escaped her messy bun were dripping wet, giving them a dark wine red colour, the same as the wine they'd shared earlier when they had just slipped into the hot water.

"Don't even think about it." Jenny mumbled, her eyes closed. She knew Jethro was itching to pull the hair tie out of her hair.

They settled again, staring at the flickering candles. She could feel he was still tense about something – something other than Kelly not saying goodbye. Lacing her fingers with his, she kissed the inside of one of his palms softly.

"What's bothering you, Jethro?" She felt him shrug his shoulders and she bit her lip. It sometimes bothered her when he was so quiet. He always looked at her intently, his blue eyes searching for the things she were hiding from him. He still didn't know about what happened to her father, or why she'd joined NCIS and what her plans were. And as far as her mother was concerned she was nowhere in the picture.

"Does Noemi have any kids?" He asked out of the blue, genuine curiosity in his voice.

Jenny bit her lips, not sure if the older woman would appreciate her divulging such sensitive information. She doubted he'd let it drop and she knew he'd keep the knowledge to himself.

"No, she uhm… she can't have children." Jenny shifted a little, pulling Jethro's arms a little tighter around her, "She arrived on our doorstep when I was eight, and she's been with me since then. She's always been like a mother to me."

"Your mom, she pass away?" Jethro asked gently. He felt her tense despite the fact that she tried to hide it. He kissed below her ear softly, trying to keep her calm.

"Jethro, I don't want to talk about it." Jenny said sharply, he nodded his head in understanding and started placing soft kisses along her jaw. It wasn't long before she forgave him for his not so subtle way of prying and felt her muscles coil with a different type of tension.

The room was dark and Jenny's soft breathing was the only noise that could be heard through out the entire house. Jethro blinked a few times, trying to sort through the things that ran through his mind. His fears of Kelly forgetting him were pacified when she'd called him just before they were sent to bed. They had been in the kitchen looking for something to drink when his phone had started ringing.

He was exhausted, he'd had almost no sleep trying to solve a high-profile case, and Jenny hadn't given him a break ever since they'd stepped out of the bathroom. He wasn't complaining about the last part but he just couldn't fall asleep.

He'd shared a lot over the past few months with his red headed lover. She'd found out about Shannon, he'd taken her to Stillwater, he'd even confided in her about his mother. And still she wouldn't say anything about her personal life. He knew she'd been an undercover agent for the last two year, but he didn't know what she'd done before that, Jenny was too ambitious about her career to have jumped from one job to another until she landed at NCIS.

It was starting to get to him, he wanted to know what happened to her mother. She'd mentioned her father a few times, and he'd found out that he'd been in the Army. She didn't talk about him much, it was hard to talk about someone you lost, and he suspected that he might have died of natural causes.

Their conversation from earlier kept running through his mind. She'd clamped up before he could get a straight answer from her, and he suspected that whatever had transpired between her and her mother had made her the driven woman she was now, at least so he thought.

Jenny was curled up next to him her naked body pressed against his, her head resting on his shoulder and her long fiery red hair was covering his bare chest. He pulled her closer, kissing her forehead softly. Her reluctance to talk worried him, he could see that she was hurting deep down, he wanted to offer her comfort because he knew it took a while before the pain started to subside.

Closing his eyes, he tried to relax, letting the exhaustion of the week consume him and finally pull him into some form of rest.

It was hours, maybe even minutes later when he woke up again, his eyes burning as he opened them. He must have just nodded off because Jenny was talking, but he couldn't really make out what she was saying. He scrubbed a hand over his face tiredly, rubbing one eye with is palm, he lifted his head to look at his lover.

"What?" He asked groggily, "Jen, what did you say?" he scraped his throat and tried to find the blinking numbers of Jenny's alarm clock. It was just after three in the morning.

Jenny mumbled again and he glared at her back, he wondered why he hadn't heard her talk in her sleep before. Fluffing his pillow he dropped his head on it and squeezed his eyes shut trying to fall back asleep. It wasn't long before he heard her mumble again.

Turning to face her he watched her intently. He pushed himself up and leaned against the headboard. She was restless, constantly turning, first on her sides and then flipping over on her stomach. It took a while for his brain to catch up with what was happening, she mumbled again and he was jolted from his stupor.

Her fists clenched tightly in the sheets and she whimpered softly. Jethro placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently but she shrugged him off. Curling up in a tight ball she whimpered again, this time more in distress.

"Jenny," Jethro called again placing a firm hand on her shoulder, "Jenny, wake up, it's just a dream."

"No!" Jenny screamed at him and tried shaking him off.

Jethro shook her shoulder more firmly and raised his voice more when he called her name again.

Jenny shot up, her breathing ragged. She looked at him in bewilderment, her green eyes wild and moist with tears. He could see that she didn't recognise him as she looked at him. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her knees, trying to calm her breathing.

Jethro placed a comforting hand on her back, he knew what it was like to be plagued by bad memories. He could feel her body shake as she cried. Wrapping and arm around her waist he pulled her onto his lap, holding her close, offering her as much comfort as she wanted.

"Didn't mean to wake you." Jenny sniffled slightly, trying to pull away from him.

"I was awake." He said gruffly, rubbing his eye to ease the burning sensation.

"Liar, I can hear the sleep in your voice." Jenny smiled weakly against his shoulder. She rested her forehead against his neck and let out a shuddering breath. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders she held onto him tightly, kissing his jaw. "Sorry."

"There's no need Jenny, I'm here." He kissed her temple tenderly and rested his cheek on the crown of her head.

It was in the dark bedroom of the Georgetown mansion that he realised, that there was more to Jenny Shepard than what she let on, and that it was going to take a while before she was going to let him in.

* * *

Tony glared at the vending machine, it was the third bill it had swallowed without giving him his much needed energy bar. He cast a suspicious glance around the break room, expecting Kate to hide behind the wall snickering at his misfortune. This week, this month didn't play in his favour.

First Kelly ended up in the hospital because of him, then someone decided to scratch his car and then the boss decided to smack him on the head more than usual because he didn't like Christmas, and he, Tony DiNozzo, just happened to be the closest person.

Making sure there was no-one around he took his designer shoe to the vending machine, kicking the mocking piece of machinery repeatedly. There was a clatter and for a moment he thought it might topple over and fall on him. The machine let out a disturbing whir, and his energy bar fell from the coiled metal rack.

Snatching the piece of candy he sauntered back to the squad room. Peeling the silver wrapping from the energy bar, he inhaled the sweet smell of chocolate, licking his lips he took a bite. It was definitely worth the three bills the machine had stolen from him. Peeling the wrapping back even further he took another bite as he rounded the corner.

He watched as Director Vance stormed out of his office and head straight for MTAC; Tony raised his eyebrows slightly, the boss' boss had been doing that a lot lately, scuttlebutt was that someone had messed up big time.

Flopping in his chair he glared at Kate's empty desk, she'd headed out when he had left to get himself a mid-morning snack. He'd been surprised to see her in the office, but she hadn't stayed long. Stuffing the last of the bar in his mouth he dropped the empty wrapper in the dustbin and pulled his chair in. Flipping the file open he started reading it again, trying to find the mistakes Gibbs usually pointed out.

It was hard to concentrate knowing that Ziva was back at his apartment cooking away at something delicious. He shook his head and tried thinking of something other than his lover. He squinted his eyes at the small side note Gibbs had written in the margin of the paper.

Tony heard the elevator ding, but didn't pay much attention to it. It was Saturday meaning it was probably another agent. He turned back to the file, glaring at his boss' comment on including everything not just the highlights. He didn't understand why they all had to report on what all four of them witnessed.

"Excuse me."

Tony looked up from the paper he was reading at the woman who had spoken. He smiled charmingly at her, taking note of the fact that she was rather attractive. There was something familiar about her features but he couldn't really place it. He looked her over before she could realise she was being scrutinised.

She was in her late fifties, well aged and good looking, and by the looks of things she was from money or married into it if the rock on her finger was anything to go by. Her dark brown eyes were warm and comforting and there was something familiar about that too.

"Can I help you?" Tony asked politely, rising from his seat. He nodded at the security guard, who had escorted her, that he'd take over.

"I certainly hope so." She joked lightly as he came to stand in front of her. She was holding onto the dark leather strap of her handbag tightly, her other hand fidgeting with one of the clasps.

" _Very_ Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo at your service ma'am." He held out a hand for her to shake.

"Italian." She observed, she didn't repay the courtesy of giving him her name instead she asked a question of her own, "Is it always this quiet in here?"

Tony looked around the empty squad room, it really was just him in the building, except for the director up in MTAC. He slid one hand into his back pocket, he rubbed his neck a little with the other smiling at her, "Uh, no, I have some catching up to do. Are you looking for someone?"

The gentle brown eyes narrowed a little, she was clearly contemplating whether he could be trusted or not. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. Tony kept looking at her, trying to place where he'd seen her before, or if she was related to someone he knew because she looked very familiar – almost too familiar.

"Are there any women working here?" She was fiddling with her handbag's clasp again, making it click each time she pulled it and snapped it back in place.

"Yeah," Tony pulled his face in slight confusion, he quickly assessed the situation. She didn't look like a killer, but neither did Kate. "Is there anyone in particular you're looking for?"

"Special Agent Shepard." She supplied as she studied him.

"Ah," Tony's olive green eyes lit up, it appeared that the lady was related to Jenny, "she isn't in this weekend. I can take a message for her, or I can call her if you don't mind waiting."

"No, that won't be necessary." The woman turned away from studying the pictures pinned up behind Kate's desk. She pressed her lips together for a moment, her eyes suddenly glazed over. She seemed to snap out of it and offered her hand to the young Italian.

"Thank you, _very_ Special Agent DiNozzo. You have a nice day."

Tony shook her hand firmly and accompanied her to the elevator, pressing the button he stepped aside to let her on the elevator. "I never caught your name."

"I never gave it to you."

* * *

Jenny swung her legs a little as she sat at the island on one of the barstools, she nibbled her slice of toast as she looked through the morning paper. There was nothing of real interest, except the weekly highlights and the mysterious woman a senator had taken home with him. She wrinkled her nose in distaste and paged over to the sports section.

Jethro had left to pick Kelly up from her sleepover, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She wasn't exactly sure what she should make of his sudden need to ask about her family. She'd told him her father had passed away, it was the least she could do given the fact of how much she knew about his personal life. But asking about her mother was a subject she did not want to discuss.

Last night's nightmare was the same as always, she'd hear the gunshot and before she knew it she'd be bursting through the heavy wooden doors, finding her father.

It was the first time in a while she'd had it again. Her life had been busy with Jethro and Kelly around her constantly, it didn't bother her she liked having them around. But it meant she was starting to loose sight of what she had originally set out to do, and she wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

Yoda barked next to her, his large brown eyes boring into her as he stared at the piece of toast in her hand. She raised an eyebrow at him, looking between the toast and the young Terrier. Jethro wasn't around to glare at them. She broke off a piece of toast and gave it to Yoda, laughing as he dropped it on the floor and struggled to pick it up. He finally lifted it off the floor and snorted happily as he ate.

Jenny shook her head and flicked through the rest of the paper. She was anxious to see Kelly, she'd become so used to the toddler following her around and asking questions that she actually missed her not constantly hovering around her. She knew she'd have to fight to spend time with Kelly, because Jethro had watched the clock until it was close to nine before he grabbed his keys to go pick up Kelly.

She smiled to herself, Jethro's mood had improved drastically when Kelly had called to say goodnight, and if she had heard correctly the little girl had been very sorry for not saying goodbye. It reminded her of sleepovers from her youth, after her mother had left, she had very rarely gone out and if she did her father would always get a call from her asking him to pick her up.

Finishing the last of her toast, Jenny folded the paper neatly and placed it on the counter. She slid off her chair, placing her plate in the sink before heading upstairs, she didn't want to explain to the inquisitive toddler why she was only wearing one of Jethro's t-shirts.

Yoda strutted behind her, his boot between his teeth as they climbed the stairs. The dog walked past her to the guest bedroom that had been somewhat transformed into Kelly's room. It was his hideout until Kelly got home or if he wanted to chew on something peacefully without Jethro threatening to take it.

Jenny was just coming down the stairs, pulling her hair out of the collar of Jethro's red hoodie when Yoda shot past her, his rope chew toy in his mouth. Pulling her hair into a tight ponytail, she heard the key in the lock before the door flew open and the little girl scampered through the door. Yoda barked excitedly up at her. Kelly scratched Yoda behind the ears and kissed his snout.

"Jenny!" Kelly squealed and set off towards the redhead, crashing into her legs. Kelly gave her a toothy grin as she scooped her off the floor, settling her on her hip.

"Did you have fun?" Jenny asked as she rubbed her nose against Kelly's affectionately.

"Change first, Kel. Then you can tell Jenny what you were up to." Jethro said warningly at his daughter, she'd babbled non-stop since he'd picked her up, and he knew that if she didn't change out of her pyjamas she'd spend the whole day in them.

Kelly huffed slightly, sliding to the floor and taking the duffel bag from her father to put it in her room like he had asked earlier. Yoda stared after her before grabbing his toy and racing past her.

Jethro let out a sigh as Kelly disappeared down one of the hallways upstairs. He shook his head slightly, he'd noticed recently that they were easing out of the no-bath-phase and heading straight for the babbling-and-why-phase. It was cute at times, but when it was nearing bedtime and she wanted to know why she had to go to bed or sleep, it got on his nerves.

He eyed Jenny appreciatively in a pair of dark jeans and his hoodie. Crooking a finger at her, he motioned for her to come closer. He watched as she bit her lip, contemplating his demand, she sauntered towards him raising a perfect eyebrow at him. He leaned down, his breath warm against her cheek.

"You keep wearin' my clothes, I might not let you wear anything else." He kissed the shell of her ear softly.

Jenny met his cobalt eyes, the dangerous glint in hers clearly reflected, she fisted her hand in his jacket and brought his mouth down to hers. She pulled away before they could get too carried away. It was just in time as Kelly stormed down the steps.

Kelly had pulled her long sleeve t-shirt on the wrong way, she was wearing miss matched socks, and was buttoning her sweater crookedly. She jumped down the last step grinning at Jenny, she headed towards her but Jethro picked her up before she could really move.

"Daddy." Kelly whined petulantly, glaring at him slightly.

"Did you put away your shoes so Yoda can't chew them?"

"Yes, can I go to Jenny please?" Kelly's large blue eyes grew even bigger as she looked up at him, he narrowed his eyes at her and she did the same. He nodded and handed her over to the redhead who looked about ready to steal Kelly from him.

Jenny took the toddler and headed towards the living room. Jethro looked down to see Yoda looking up at him, the chewed boot near his feet. He rolled his eyes and kicked the offending thing across the floor and down the hall, and grinned a little proudly when the Boston brought the shoe back and dropped it at his feet.

Jenny listened to every word Kelly said as she told her about her sleepover while trying to get the toddler dressed properly. They had set the day aside to decorate her Georgetown mansion for Christmas, the boxes with lights and garlands were stacked in a corner waiting to be opened. They were going through one of the boxes when Jethro and Yoda joined them. The dog curled up in his basket and Jethro flopped down in the recliner.

"Then Chris and Jake ran in the house and mister Tyler said no, but they didn't listen and then Jake almost fell down the stairs. They were sent to time out." Kelly had wrapped herself in a blue garland as she regaled them with her story.

Jethro shook his head, those boys were bad news. He'd heard the story from Daniel as well and he knew his friend had been close to snapping their necks last night. He listened a little absent-mindedly as Kelly and Jenny talked, more focused on the newspaper he was reading.

Jenny looked up at the tree that stood in in her living room. She didn't know where Jethro had found it but he'd arrived the previous Saturday with it on the back of his truck, and it looked absolutely beautiful. It reminded her of the Christmas trees her father had always managed to find at the last minute. It was why she loved Christmas so much, it brought back some of her fondest memories of her, her father and Noemi spending the day together.

Jenny laughed when Kelly bounced to her father and wrapped one of the many red garlands around his neck, kissing his cheek and skipping back to the box that held the rest. He glared at her when he heard her laugh, she pouted at him teasingly.

"Red suits you, Jethro, you should wear it more often." She grinned at him as he glowered. The look in his eyes shifted and she knew he wanted to say something inappropriate but there were little ears in the room with them.

Kelly opened a second box, pulling it over to where Jenny was with a struggled, she made herself comfortable on Jenny's lap and pulled the wrapped baubles out of the box. Some were personalised and had been hand painted by a very young Jenny Shepard. Others were store bought to replace the ones that had been broken and others were inherited from older family members.

Jenny looked at some of them a little sadly, she hadn't really celebrated Christmas at home the last two years. She had either spent it in the desert with Ziva or in a cold London apartment fighting an infection from a wound. The change of pace was nice and the thought of making it special for Kelly was something she was looking forward to.

"Jenny?" Kelly asked as she examined a bauble with a Santa on it.

"Yeah, Kelly?" She hugged the little girl as she looked over her shoulder.

"Is Santa really real?"

Jenny looked over at Jethro, he stared at her for a moment, before raising an eyebrow and folding the newspaper neatly and waiting for her to explain to the three-year-old about who Santa was. Jenny chewed her bottom lip a little, her face broke out in a grin as she regarded the little girl.

"Well, have you ever heard strange noises on Christmas Eve when you're supposed to be asleep so Santa can bring you presents?" Jenny asked conspiratorially.

"Yes, but it's just Daddy snoring." Kelly's forehead wrinkled in thought.

Jenny looked up from Kelly to shoot a rather smug smirk Jethro's way, "I told you, you snore." he just rolled his eyes at her.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to make a list of things you want for Christmas and then mail it. If you get something from your list we'll know it was Santa, and we'll make a spare one just to be sure." Jenny looked the little girl straight in the eye, trying to be as convincing as possible.

Jethro smirked to himself, it was no wonder Jenny was such a good agent. He met her gaze and winked at her, silently conveying that her plan was ingenious. No he didn't have to run around at the last minute to find something for Christmas.

Kelly put a small hand to her chin and thought it over. She jumped up and scampered to where her father was relaxing in the recliner. She hoisted herself onto his lap, digging her small elbows into his thighs. She looked at him seriously, her pretty blue eyes narrowed speculatively.

"If Santa gets me something, will you get me something too?" Kelly batted her eyelashes, smiling cheekily at her father, "Please?" she drew the word out.

Jethro looked at her for a moment. He wasn't big on spoiling his child or making her think she could get everything she wanted, he loved her dearly but he didn't want her to think he'd give her everything her heart desired.

"We'll think about it, okay?" He ruffled her curls.

"Okay." She was easy to please and he was thankful for that at the moment. He held her close as she relaxed against him. Both watching Jenny as she sorted through all the baubles. He nudged Kelly gently and she slid off his lap, the both of them joining Jenny on the floor.

Jethro eased himself down next to Jenny, bumping his elbow against hers affectionately, "Smooth move, Shepard." he usually used her surname when she had outsmarted him, and in a way it was sweet when he did it.

"Always be specific when you lie." She whispered in his ear as Kelly sorted through the remaining baubles. Jethro smiled at her and kissed her cheek softly, he reached inside the box and helped unwrap the baubles.

Kelly was perched on Jethro's shoulders, tasked with wrapping garland around the top of the tree. Jenny was diligently hanging strings of brightly coloured light bulbs on the bottom of the tree working her way up. Yoda was in his basket, eating a piece of Jenny's leftover sandwich.

Jethro scratched at his neck a little, the thin strips of coloured foil were starting to irritate his skin and Kelly and Jenny were refusing that he take off the red garland. He handed a green one up at Kelly, holding her thighs as she wrapped it around the tree. She sneezed from all the dust that collected on it and he grimaced slightly. His shoulders were starting to ache from Kelly's weight constantly moving around.

Yoda barked all of the sudden and they all stopped what they were doing to look at him. Jethro looked over at Jenny who was now sat on the floor. He had learned to discern the pup's various barks, and he knew he had heard something that they didn't. Jethro reached over and turned the music down that was playing softly and heard the faint knock on the door.

"You expecting someone?" He asked Jenny jokingly as she looked at him slightly confused.

"No, but if it's that nosy old bat from next door, I'm going out guns blazing."

Jethro laughed and shook his head, motioning for her to stay seated, "I'll get it."

"She might jump your bones!" Jenny called after him as he made his way into the hallway, Kelly still firmly seated on his shoulders.

Jethro shook his head at Jenny, he had first hand experience what the lady next door was like. She had watched them through her blinds more than once over the last month as they came and went. He had caught her a number of times staring at them, and he had prided himself in making her uncomfortable when he told Kelly to wave at the old lady.

"Horsey, Daddy, horsey!" Kelly giggled, wriggling around on his shoulders so he could gallop to the front door. Jethro groaned silently, he moved his shoulders around, pretending to gallop.

"Daddy," Kelly whined when she caught on to what he was doing.

"Kelly, Daddy's shoulders are sore, maybe next time." Kelly patted his head softly and placed a kiss in his hair.

Reaching up he lifted her off his shoulders so she could settle on his hip. There was another knock just as they reached the foyer. Jethro widened his eyes at Kelly a little drawing a soft giggle from her. Kissing her forehead he adjusted her a little higher and reached to open the door.

Jethro looked at the woman on the front step and gave her a strange look. He knew that he hadn't seen her before in his life but somehow she looked so familiar. He felt Kelly's grip tighten a little on his shoulder, gripping his daughter a little tighter he looked the woman straight in the eye.

"Can I help you ma'am?"

The woman looked at him in what he could make out as confusion. He saw her brown eyes flick to the gold numbers on the wall that indicated which house it was.

"I wasn't aware the house had been sold. I apologise for interrupting your morning." The woman was about to leave when Jethro spoke up.

"Wait, there has been a misunderstanding. Are you looking for someone, maybe I can help?" Jethro smiled a little when the woman looked at him.

"Maybe you can," She smiled a little nervously, "I'm looking for a Jennifer Shepard."

Jethro nodded, turning to Kelly he whispered in her ear and she nodded, sliding down to the floor and running down the hall. Jethro stepped aside letting the woman inside and closed the door to keep the cold outside. He took her coat and hung it on the coat-hanger.

"Jethro Gibbs." He held out his hand for the woman to shake, being the civilised person his father had raised him to be.

"Angela Bernardi." She shook the man's hand politely.

Kelly ran into the foyer again, heading straight for her father, she looped her arms around his neck and looked at the woman curiously. Jethro nudged Kelly softly drawing her attention to him, he shook his head a little at her, silently telling her it was rude to stare. Kelly hid her face in his neck shyly, hugging him tightly.

"Jethro, what's going on? What's so-" Jenny trailed off as she walked into the foyer.

Jenny stared at the woman blankly. Turning to Jethro she looked at him almost accusingly, wondering whether he had tracked down her mother and wanted to force them to make amends, but she could see he didn't know who she was. She felt her stomach flip almost uncontrollably, this was the last thing she needed.

"Jenny." Angela said softly, her voice cracking with emotion. She gave her daughter a watery smile, not even attempting to keep the tears at bay.

Jenny looked at the woman in front of her. The last time she had seen her mother running through her mind, she'd hid in her father's office when her parents had fought, listening to the hurtful words they flung at each other.

Jethro looked at the two women side by side. It took him a while to realise that the familiarity in the woman's features were reflected in Jenny's. He didn't know whether he should feel angry or betrayed with the fact that Jenny hadn't told him that she still had a mother. He grit his teeth in anger, turning to Kelly he kissed her forehead.

"Honey, why don't you go upstairs and go play in your room?"

"But Daddy, we're making the Christmas tree pretty." Kelly whined as she glared at her father. She stuck out her bottom lip when he raised an eyebrow at her in warning.

Jethro put Kelly on the floor and pointed to the top of the staircase. The toddler scowled at him and folded her arms over her chest. Jethro clapped his hands and she scampered away, heading up the stairs.

Jenny stared at her mother while Jethro sent Kelly upstairs. She couldn't find the courage to tell her to leave and neither could she find the words to explain the whole situation to Jethro. Angela turned to look at her and she averted her gaze, biting back the tears.

She was experiencing a whole whirlwind of emotions and she wasn't exactly sure how to deal with all of them at the same time. The anger inside her overshadowed any other form of feeling she could experience. She knew Jethro had already put two and two together, and she hadn't missed the look in his eyes when he had looked at her. The tears became too much for her to bare and she quickly turned and headed to the kitchen.

Jethro turned to Angela, his eyes narrowed slightly, "I take it you're her mother?"

Angela smiled at him a little, nodding her head slightly. Readjusting her handbag's strap she took a deep breath, "I'll leave, clearly my presence has upset everyone."

"No," Jethro stepped forward stopping her from moving, "just give me a minute. You're welcome to wait in the study."

Jenny chewed her lip as she looked out over the small backyard of her town house. Her throat was dry and she couldn't even begin to think about the impending fight that was brewing between her and Jethro. She hadn't exactly lied to him about her mother, she had tried to steer the conversation in another direction each time, but she knew he was feeling the same way she had felt when she found out about Shannon.

Hurt, betrayal, anger.

In the back of her mind she knew he'd bring up the fact that she had forced him to talk to his father. This had completely blind sided her, and she didn't know if she had it in her to explain the situation. If anything she owed Jethro that much after everything he'd let her in on, and she knew that for him it was not an easy thing to do.

The kitchen door swung open slowly and closed with a soft thud. He was behind her and she could feel his glare boring into her from across the room. She didn't dare look at him, because the last thing she wanted to see was the anger in those baby blues. Taking a shuddering breath, she wiped at her eyes furiously not wanting him to see her cry.

His eyes were cold when she met his gaze. She bit her lip hard and the coppery taste of blood flooded her mouth. Jenny didn't have to look at her reflection to know her eyes were bloodshot and that the little make-up she had on had started running. She pressed her lips together and lifted her chin a little.

They looked at each other for a while, not sure who was going to throw the first hurtful word.

"Jen-"

"You weren't there." Jenny cut Jethro off.

Jethro narrowed his eyes at her, "No, Jen, I wasn't." he closed his eyes and shook his head, "You preach to me about not talking to my father, but you..."

His top lip curled in anger and he actually let out a frustrated growl, "I don't like it when people lie to me. Especially when I trust them."

"You don't understand Jethro." Jenny whispered softly, dropping her gaze. She could feel him seethe with anger, she didn't blame him. It had been her reaction as well, except things weren't as complicated then.

"You're right, Jenny, I don't because for some reason you won't let me in. And I'm fed up with trying to understand, just to have you clamp up and become bitchy." Jethro rubbed his forehead a little roughly.

Jenny felt the tears run down her cheeks but she couldn't find it in her to tell him why she couldn't talk about it. His words stung, and if she hadn't been so caught up in her own thoughts she might have slapped him for telling her indirectly that she was a bitch.

"I'm taking Kelly home." Jethro said after a moment of silence. He straightened his shoulders and made his way to where Jenny stood.

She turned her face away from him, not wanting to look at him. He placed a hand on her tear stained cheek and wiped away the moisture. He pressed a kiss to her temple softly, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply. "Do yourself a favour and make it right with her."

She wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed since Jethro had left the kitchen and she heard the car doors slam. She listened intently at the loud purr of the large eight cylinder engine as it rolled down the street until she couldn't hear it any more.

It was dead quiet.

Jenny took a shuddering breath, she didn't want to think about the huge role Jethro and Kelly had come to play in her life. She didn't even know if her mother was still waiting in the foyer, or if she had walked away like all those years ago. Wiping the tears away with the cuff of the hoodie, she sniffed a little and looked at her feet.

There were chew toys and dolls scattered all over the kitchen floor from when they had made sandwiches. Bending down Jenny picked up _Strawberry Shortcake_ smoothing down the doll's hair, she smiled a little sadly. The kitchen door creaked open and the unmistakeable sound of heels echoed behind her. Anger quickly flooded her veins, pushing her hurt feelings aside.

"Why are you here?" Jenny asked coldly.

"I wrote you." Angela said softly, "I asked if I could see you, but I never got a letter back."

"Yeah well, that should have been pretty obvious that I didn't want to see you." Jenny ground out angrily, she placed the doll in her hand on the marble top and turned to face her mother.

"I just wanted to see you." Angela said thickly, her voice quivering slightly.

Jenny glared at her. She could feel her cheeks flush with anger, "Twenty two years, you never made an effort to contact me or to _see_ me. Now you're interested in what I have been up to. What happened? Did your rich Italian husband leave you, or do you need something?"

"I never wanted to leave you, Jenny." Angela said quietly, trying to stop the tears that didn't want to stay at bay.

Seeing her daughter all grown up and as beautiful as she had imagined was hard to process. The large green eyes that had always held such immense warmth were cold and guarded, reminding her of the last time she had seen Jasper.

"Yet you did, and you never told me why. You never even said goodbye." Jenny wiped at her eyes again. "You left without even a second glance."

"I left because I never loved your father. He might have been a good father to you, but he wasn't a husband. Jasper only had two true loves, the Army and his baby girl." Angela cleared her throat a little.

"Don't you dare blame my father just because he's not here to defend himself." Jenny slammed her fist against the marble top, sending a jolt of pain up her arm but she didn't dare flinch.

Angela shook her head, pulling one of the barstools out she took a seat, looking at her daughter for a while, trying to memorise everything about her. "I just want to tell you the truth."

Jenny took a few steps back, leaning against the counter and looking at her mother. She folded her arms across her chest, and for a brief moment she wished Jethro was there with her, even if he was just silently staring at her. She waved her hand a little to show that Angela could continue.

Angela smiled at her warmly, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue she had taken out of her handbag. Letting out a breath she looked straight at her daughter.

"I was barely out of high school when I met your father. Swept me off my feet the moment I laid eyes on those dark emerald eyes. He shipped out to Vietnam a month later."

Jenny pushed away from the counter and pulled a chair out as well, taking a seat across from her mother.

"He came back, nine months later we had you. We got married a few months after you were born. A year later he was sent to Vietnam again. He was made First Lieutenant, and we were finally going to be a happy family."

Angela shook her head slightly, "Your father was far from the man I thought he was. I'm not trying to make you think less of him. He was a wonderful man, a great father and that's evident in the strong woman he had raised you to be. We just had nothing in common."

Jenny narrowed her eyes a little, trying to remember everything she was learning. She wasn't sure whether she could actually believe her mother, after all she did leave her.

"Jasper and I fought every time we saw each other, we just didn't fight in front of you. Your father broke me down, I was a good ten years younger than him and he found fault with everything I did. I could never do anything right when it came to you, I lacked maternal instincts as your grandmother use to say."

Angela reached out, placing a hand on top of Jenny's, she traced her fingertip over the faint freckles that covered her daughter's hand. She was quiet for a while, trying to sort through everything that was racing through her mind. She'd promised she'd tell her daughter the truth and what she did with it was up to her.

She was relieved when Jenny didn't pull her hand away. Angela wanted to hug her, wanting the last twenty two years to just disappear.

"I met a man when you were six. He loved me and I was going to leave your father."

"So you left my father, and you left me. I don't know what you're getting at here but this tale you're telling me isn't really counting in your favour." Jenny pulled her hand away and wrapped her arms around herself, pulling the hoodie tighter around her, breathing in the calming scent.

"Your father was your everything. He adored you from the moment you were born, he spoiled you whenever he got the chance. I couldn't take you away from him and ruin your life." Angela wiped away the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"I knew you would resent me if I took you away from him. I couldn't bare the thought of knowing you'd hated me." Angela bit her lip, "I never said goodbye because I knew I wouldn't be able to leave you."

Jenny wiped at her eyes a little. She'd never thought about how her mother had felt, she'd always believed that her mother had never loved her. Thinking about it now, years later, and having spent time around Jethro and Kelly and having witnessed the bond they shared, she probably would have done the same thing.

"Why didn't you visit me, or write me?" Jenny didn't care about the tears any more, she was in a way getting closure.

"The night I left, your father said he never wanted to see or hear from me." Angela took a deep breath, "I spent months contemplating taking you from your father. Julio – my husband – wanted me to take you away, but I couldn't do that to you."

Jenny sniffed as the tears flowed, it was hard listening to her mother. She'd always thought the world of her father, but hearing these things she didn't know any more. The events of the last three years had made her rethink everything, but she knew for a fact her father wasn't a traitor, her mother had said it herself, he loved the Army.

"Jasper's sister, Bernice, she used to send me pictures of you." Angela reached for the gold necklace around her neck, pulling the locket out of her blouse. She took it off and handed it over to Jenny.

Jenny ran her finger over her own name engraved on the golden locket. Opening it she looked at the two photos inside of it. One was a baby picture and the other one had been taken just before her graduation. She could remember her aunt constantly bugging her for a photo.

"You two kept in touch?" Jenny asked as she passed the locket back to her mother.

"She was the only one who knew I was going to leave your father. I told her I couldn't take you with me, she promised she'd write and tell me how you were doing." Angela put the locket around her neck again.

"Explains why she always nagged me to know how I was doing." Jenny said with a slight laugh. She felt lighter than she had in years, for the first time she understood why her mother had left. Taking a deep breath she wiped away the last of her tears. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Tea would be nice, thank you." Angela smiled at her warmly as she wiped away her own tears.

"I remember." Jenny whispered as she pulled two cups out of the cupboard.

Angela watched her daughter move around the kitchen, smiling when she noticed the small mannerisms that she had inherited from her father. She took the proffered cup and wrapped her hands around it, trying to keep them warm. Clearing her throat a little she looked at Jenny again.

"A year after I left, I tried seeing you again. I'm pretty sure your father never told you that I had tried reaching out to you, I don't even think he knew."

Jenny narrowed her eyes a little, tilting her head, "Dad had been sent to Vietnam again, the war had just ended." she smiled a little sadly, "I was upset because he missed my school play."

Angela reached out again, taking Jenny's hand in hers, "I was there the first night. You were so adorable in that green costume." she swallowed against the lump in her throat and scraped her throat softly.

Jenny's eyes widened. She had been a little apprehensive about her mother actually telling the truth, but hearing her mention the costume she had worn made everything pretty believable. It was hard hearing these things years after everything had happened, she had been naive as a child believing everything the adults had told her.

Feeling Angela pull her hand away she grasped it tightly in hers. She was drawing strength from the older woman's courage to talk to her, she pretended it was someone else's hand she was holding someone who always offered his silent brand of comfort.

"Why, uhm..." Jenny swallowed, "Why didn't I see you?"

"Your grandmother wouldn't let me anywhere near you. She said that you had been through enough already." Angela shook her head, "I should have fought for you, but I didn't, I couldn't hurt you by taking you away from your father."

Jenny nodded slowly, her father's mother had been a nightmare of a woman, the few months she had spent with her grandparents had been hell while her father had been deployed. She could remember hiding from her grandmother, asking Noemi to lie about where she was.

"Jenny," Angela placed the hand Jenny had been holding against her daughter's cheek wiping away the tears, "If I could do everything all over again." placing a finger under her chin she lifted Jenny's head so she could look at her, "I would take you with me."

"Guess it's too late for that." Jenny mumbled as she wiped her face clean with the sleeve of Jethro's hoodie. "I've spent everyday of my life resenting you, I still do."

Angela pulled away quickly, as if she had been burned by what Jenny had said.

"But seeing you and hearing what you had to say, makes me regret not reaching out to you first." Jenny spoke honestly, she had considered contacting her mother a number of times over the years, but she always lost her nerve.

Jenny tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, she didn't even want to know how horrifying she looked with her smeared make-up and bloodshot eyes. She gave her estranged mother a quivering smile, wondering whether it was instinct that made her comfortable with looking like she did in front of her mother.

"Do you have children?" Jenny asked a little hesitantly. She hadn't completely forgiven her mother, but she was a little closer to understanding her reasoning.

"Yes, I have four children now, you and then three sons." She laughed a little when Jenny's eyes widened, "One is twenty, the other two are nineteen."

Jenny sipped her tea, allowing the silence to settle again. Her thoughts kept returning to Jethro, she'd never admit it but all she wanted was for him to hug her tightly against him like only he could. All this was a little too much to deal with and she wanted to talk to him, even if all he did was listen to her rant and rave.

She was in need of a stiff drink to deal with everything that had happened.

"The gentleman who opened the door, are you two involved?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Jenny said a little tensely, she didn't like it when strangers pried into her personal life, and to her, Angela was a stranger.

"He has a beautiful little girl." Angela complimented. "I gathered from the surprise on his face that he didn't know about me."

Jenny laughed softly, shaking her head, "Don't let him hear you say that." when all she received was a questioning look she went on, "I think it's a marine thing."

"The little girl, is she visiting him?" Angela looked at Jenny a little hesitantly. She had thought for a moment that her daughter had gotten married and had a child in the last three years, but when she heard Jethro leave she knew that it wasn't the case.

"No, she lives with him." It was all she said, she doubted Jethro would appreciate it if she discussed his personal life with a complete stranger. Jenny reached for the delicate gold necklace around her neck, fiddling with it for a moment. It was a replacement for the one she always wore. Jethro had bought it for her birthday after the other one had snapped during a scuffle with a suspect, the only difference was the one carat emerald that hung from it.

"You said you had three boys?" Jenny asked after a while, wanting to steer the topic of discussion away from Jethro for the moment.

"Yes, they have been wanting to meet you or a while. James, the eldest, he's studying here in Washington. Angelo and Marco work with their father."

Jenny raised her eyebrows, everything was starting to feel surreal. She suddenly felt the need to be alone, away from everyone so she could collect her thoughts. She sighed heavily as she stared into her empty cup, she didn't know what she wanted at the moment.

"I realise this is a lot to take in." Angela said as she met her daughter's gaze, "Whether you'll find it in your heart to forgive me, I don't know. I just wanted to tell you the truth."

Jenny looked at her in surprise, wondering if she was that easy to read. When Angela smiled she knew that she had sensed her need to be alone. She reached out for her hand again, gripping it in hers.

"I'd like to invite you to dinner tomorrow night, I'll leave you my number." Angela pulled her handbag over her shoulder, "You can bring Jethro if you want."

Jenny walked with Angela to the foyer, taking the card she offered her with a home number scrawled on the back. She waved a little half-heartedly as the expensive looking sedan rolled down the street.

Jenny closed the door with a thud. Leaning with her back against it she sunk down to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her nose in the soft material of the red hoodie. A fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks. She missed her father, she wanted him to tell her that everything was going to be okay, that he was there if she needed him.

Lifting her head she looked into the empty study, hoping to see him sitting behind the large desk, smiling at her. She let out a strangled sob when she realised she'd never see him again. Right then she didn't care about the fact that her mother had left her, or that her parents marriage had been anything but perfect. All she wanted was her dad.

* * *

The methodical tick of a misplaced clock echoed throughout the quiet basement. The soothing sound of a sander sliding over wood didn't cut it tonight. He was too distracted and angry which resulted in him doing more harm than good. He'd already chipped one of the ribs, he didn't want to ruin the rest of the boat as well.

Jethro sighed, his temples thwacked with frustration. He'd been pissed when he started piecing everything together. He knew he didn't have the right to be upset, he'd never told her about Shannon or the bad terms he and his father had been on. But he never lied to her, or tried to steer the conversation in another direction, she never let him.

He ground his teeth together, he'd seen the fear in her eyes when he told her they were leaving. He'd never admit it to her or anyone else that she'd actually hurt his feelings by not trusting him enough to tell him about her mother. He'd shared a lot with her, rather involuntarily, but he had never lied to her he had tried to answer each question truthfully.

Jethro shifted around on the various planks underneath him, something was pressing into his back and it was starting to hurt. Wedging a hand between his back and the planks he felt around until his hand hit something hard and wet. He frowned and yanked his hand out from underneath him.

A chewed _Troll Doll_ stared back at him. Jethro glared at the doll, finding its stupid grin annoying, he didn't even want to know how Yoda got on the makeshift table in the first place. Throwing the doll across the room, he heard it bounce off the workbench and hit a mason jar full of nails, causing it to tip over and nails to scatter all over the place.

Jethro eyed the dimly lit bench wearily, trying to see if there was any real danger. He dropped his head against the planks with a thud when he saw that there was nothing on the floor. A searing pain shot to the front of his head, forcing his eyes shut. He grumbled in pain and fisted his hands in his hair, willing the pain away. He wanted Jenny's fingers in his hair, but until she decided to be honest with him, he'd be suffering.

Kelly had nagged him the whole day to tell her why they had to leave Jenny's house when they were having fun. He'd tried explaining as calmly as possible, but his moody three-year-old had refused to listen, he had scolded her for being snippy which only caused tears to follow. He'd never been good at dealing with tantrums.

When Kelly finally calmed down and had decided to speak to him again, she had agreed to tinkering around in the basement with him. She had fallen asleep before bedtime and he had reluctantly tucked her in. Jethro sighed, Kelly was good at distracting him from the things that bothered him, but when she was asleep his mind kicked into overdrive.

It was late, probably close to midnight, and he knew that sleep wouldn't find him. He wanted to know why Jenny never mentioned her mother, or why she always acted as if the woman had never even existed. He eyed the bottle of _Maker's Mark_ on the workbench, wondering if he could afford having a much needed drink.

Sitting up, he swung his feet off the makeshift table he had constructed with loose planks and a couple of saw-horses. Jumping off the structure he moseyed towards the alluring bottle of bourbon. Grabbing the large green mug with a piece of red cloth in it, he blew the dust out and pulled the half full bottle of bourbon towards him.

Jethro poured a decent amount of amber liquid in the mug, taking a swig from it, he felt the alcohol burn down his throat. It numbed the pounding in his head as he took another drink.

The pesky _Troll Doll_ grinned at him as it lay amongst the scattered nails on the workbench. Jethro raised an eyebrow slightly, Kelly was going to have a fit when she saw Yoda had chewed her beloved toy. Opening one of the drawers, he dropped the toy inside.

His eye caught the white mug that sat innocently on the large workbench, a smear of red lipstick tainting the rim of the mug. Jethro grumbled under his breath and eyed his own mug, even drinking bourbon reminded him of her. Slamming the mug down on the bench, he spilled the remaining liquid on his hand and the surface of the table. Resting his hands on the edge of the table he leaned forward, closing his eyes.

There was movement above him, the soft footfalls moved across the floor to the door leading to the basement. He looked to the top of the stairs, waiting to see a bleary eyed Kelly appear on the landing.

The footsteps faltered and he straightened immediately.

The door creaked open and he saw the uncharacteristic pair of trainers shuffle onto the top landing. He dropped his gaze and glared at the jars hanging in front of him. The stairs protested from the weight on them as she moved down them.

Jenny stopped a the foot of the stairs, looking between Jethro and the top of the stairs. The stiffness in his body was visible from a mile away, and she suddenly didn't know if she was actually welcome at his house any more. Tears burned the back of her eyes again and she dug her nails into the palms of her hands.

All she'd done the whole day was cry. First the overwhelming feeling of sorrow had plagued her, and then anger had set in. She'd blamed her mother all over again, for leaving, for coming back, for making her face the feeling she'd struggled with for the last twenty years. Then regret had settled over her, she'd thought of every possible excuse for never telling Jethro.

Jenny scuffed her shoe in the thin layer of saw dust. She'd wandered around the city aimlessly, hoping that when she arrived back home everything would have been a bad dream. It was too optimistic of her, because when she returned, her home was still empty and there was still an unfinished Christmas tree in her living room.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, she moved further into the basement. Jethro had moved away from the workbench, choosing to perch on the makeshift table underneath the boat, studying her through the ribs. Crossing and uncrossing her arms, she stuffed her hands in her jean's pockets. Sniffing slightly, she breathed out slowly.

Jenny pursed her lips, not sure how or where to begin. Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth she marched to the workbench. Unscrewing the bottle of bourbon she filled the nearest empty container. The alcohol sloshed in the bottle as she slammed it on the counter, placing the cap on it a little carelessly.

Bringing the mason jar to her lips, she took a large gulp and squeezed her eyes shut. Jenny made a sound of disgust in the back of her throat, in the back of her mind she doubted she'd ever get used to the bitterness the drink had to offer. Spinning around she felt her head spin with her, the moment of dizziness reminded her that she hadn't had anything to eat since late morning.

Jethro looked at her intently, trying to gauge whether she had been drinking before she had arrived in his basement. She hadn't appeared to be drunk – and he knew she couldn't really handle bourbon as well as he could.

He watched as the tip of her tongue darted out and licked the remnants of bourbon off her full lips.

"You come here just to drink my bourbon?" Jethro asked roughly.

Jenny let out a mirthless laugh, "I knew you'd say that."

Jethro narrowed his eyes at her, his piercing blue eyes set in a dark scowl, "Yeah, well. It's obvious you know me far better than I know you."

Jenny's brow furrowed, taking the insult in stride, the suppressed tears from earlier burned the corners of her eyes. She gave him a quivering smile, reminding herself that he didn't know the truth. She saw the look in his eyes soften when she didn't counter him with something hurtful. She held up her hand when he opened his mouth to say something.

Turning her back to him, she looked at the disarray on the workbench. Tipping the remainder of her bourbon in the green mug, she dried it out with the piece of red cloth. Pushing the nails around on the worktop, she cleared her throat.

"I was eight when my mother walked away." Jenny dropped the small silver nail in the mason jar, listening to it clink!, as it hit the tempered glass. "She was having an affair with a rich businessman for two years."

Jethro closed his eyes briefly, wishing he hadn't been so harsh in his judgement of why she didn't talk about her family.

"When she left, she didn't say goodbye. She didn't tell me why she was leaving." Jenny wiped at her eyes, trying to stop the tears from coming. Dropping another nail in the jar she took a deep breath. "My grandmother always said my mother was popular amongst men, she didn't like my mom very much."

Jethro stood, making his way to the workbench. He took the green mug, cradling it in his hand. He leaned against the table, facing Jenny, he didn't say anything he just wanted her to know that he was close. The tears were threatening to fall, but she didn't allow a single tear to slip.

"Twenty two years," Another nail was dropped into the jar, "that's how long it's been since I last saw my mother. The first few months were hard on us, my father was a military man, he didn't really know anything about braiding hair or playing dress-up."

"Noemi showed up one day. She spoke broken English and I couldn't understand a word she was saying sometimes." This time Jenny's laugh was a little more humorous. "She learned quickly and within a matter of months we were almost inseparable."

"Your mom, she keep in touch?" Jethro asked tentatively, not wanting her to shut down.

Jenny shook her head in answer. "I spent the first year telling myself, 'Mommy's coming back.' I was too naive to actually realise my mother didn't want me." A single tear rolled down her cheek and Jethro wiped it away quickly.

"A year passed and my father was sent to Vietnam, the war had just ended. I lived with my grandparents and Noemi had look after me. For months I had to listen to my grandmother say all sorts of things about my mother. How unfit she was to be a parent, that she knew she was trouble the day my father had met her."

Jenny took a deep breath, prying the mug loose from Jethro's hand and taking a swig of the whiskey. She pulled her face in disgust and handed the mug back to him, smacking her lips as the taste dissipated.

"I grew up thinking my mother never loved me. I didn't think about her much until I finished high school. I was confused about why my mother had never contacted me or reached out to me. I thought I might discuss it with my father, maybe he'd support me..."

"But he didn't." Jethro finished for her. She gave him a weak attempt at a smile.

"Yeah. He said it would be a waste of my time, that if she wanted to hear from me she would have contacted me. We had a huge fight, I left, dead set on finding my mother."

She stopped talking, she gathered the remaining nails in a small heap, still dropping them into the jar one by one. Jethro took a hold of her wrist, having placed the mug somewhere behind him. He ran his thumb over her pulse, feeling it flutter. He pulled her to stand in front of him, placing his hands on her hips and holding her close.

"I lost my nerve. The things he said were true." Jenny spoke softly, letting out a shuddering breath. The tears were too much to fight.

Jenny felt Jethro's roughened palms rest on her cheeks, he lifted her head to look at him. He conveyed so much with a simple look. She could see that he understood and that he was feeling bad for questioning her ability to trust him.

Jethro pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on top of her head and hugging her to him. He slipped his fingers into her loose hair, and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. They were quiet for a while, each trying to sort through everything that had happened.

"Jen?" Jethro asked softly, he felt her lift her head to indicate that she was listening, "If I had known, I never would have pushed you. I'm s-"

"Please don't apologise." Jenny cut him off, she pulled away from him slightly and looked up into those intense blue eyes, for the first time that night she gave him her usual warm smile, "You'll probably make me cry again."

Jethro laughed softly, bumping his nose against hers affectionately, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Lifting her chin so she could look at him, he ran his thumb over her cheek, "What made her show up at your doorstep this morning?"

"Remember when Tony had gone through my mail?" Jenny asked as she traced the letters on his t-shirt, when he grunted she continued, "That was the last letter I got from her, apparently she asked if she could see me."

"You never replied." Jethro stated when she fell silent again, clearly distracted.

Jenny shook her head, "I never even opened it. She's been sending me letters for the last three years."

Jethro quickly did the math and realised the letters had started right after her father had died, at least she'd told him that much about her past. His hands dropped to her hips again, holding her close while she sorted through her thoughts.

"She said she wanted me to know the truth, but I don't know if I want to believe her. She said she couldn't take me away from my father and let me resent her for doing so." Jenny looked up at him, searching his eyes for answers. She didn't know what she was hoping to find, but the softness in his gaze at least gave her some comfort.

"And I'm feeling like a fool for actually believing the things she said."

Jenny laughed at herself, avoiding looking up at Jethro. She felt him bury his nose in her hair and she dropped her head against his chest. Jenny listened as his heart thudded in her ear, she tried to focus solely on that.

"I phoned my aunt down in Florida." Jenny mumbled as she pressed her face against his chest. "She confirmed most of what Angela said." Jenny shook her head a little, "She confirmed _everything_ that Angela had said."

Jethro stared at the chipped rib on his boat, his one hand was running up and down Jenny's back soothingly the other was in her hair playing with the silky red locks. Dropping a kiss in her hair he made her take a step back, he ran the tips of his fingers over her cheek, he met her emerald eyes. He didn't know how she'd take what he wanted to say.

"Parents make choices because they have a sense of perspective. It might not always be the right one, but in that moment it usually seems like the right option." Jethro let out a soft sigh and dropped his finger to her bottom lip, soothing the angry red mark from all her biting.

"Guess you know something about that, huh?" Jenny wrinkled her nose cutely at him and he laughed.

"Yeah, something like that." Jethro cupped her cheek, his other hand snaking around her waist to settle on the small of her back.

"Jethro," Jenny said hoarsely, "make it go away."

Jethro pulled her closer, his breath hot on her moist skin. She watched as his pupils dilated with the same need she was currently experiencing. She could smell the whiskey on his breath as he brushed his lips against hers, her breathing hitched as he drew his tongue over her lips. She moaned loudly as he crashed his lips against hers.

The sudden taste of bourbon flooded her senses as Jethro touched his tongue against hers. She couldn't remember the whiskey ever tasting so good. She heard his muffled growl as she swirled her tongue around his and the urgency between them shifted.

Jethro found the hem of the red hoodie, pulling it up and over her head. He felt himself tighten at the barely there tank top she had on. Trailing kisses down her throat he slid his hands under the skimpy material, caressing her sides and drawing the shirt up her body.

Jenny bunched Jethro's shirt in her hands and yanked it upwards, she heard him chuckle as she struggled to pull it over his head. Glaring at him once the shirt was gone she pulled him in for another kiss, raking her nails down his back as he ground his hips against hers.

He fumbled slightly with the button in her jeans, struggling to get it through the small hole. She kicked off her shoes, moaning as she felt Jethro's breath in her thighs. Pulling the tank top over her head she threw it behind her carelessly.

Jethro felt his jeans become even more uncomfortable at the sight of Jenny clad in nothing but lace underwear. He picked her up, letting her wrap her legs around his waist. He kissed the swell of her breasts, drawing his tongue over the sensitive skin, closing his mouth over a covered nipple he listened to her cry out as he scraped his teeth over it gently.

"Jethro," Jenny panted as he did the same to the other breast.

Jethro kissed up her throat, knowing she didn't want their usual foreplay. He wormed a hand between them and stroked her through the lace of her panties. He eyed the hazardous workbench wearily before spinning them around and heading for the boat.

Jenny groaned softly as the rib of the boat dug into her back, but it soon turned into a moan as Jethro slipped a finger inside her. Somewhere in her clouded mind she slipped a hand between them and undid his jeans, pushing both the denim and boxers down his legs.

His mouth was over hers again, robbing her of her breath. Reaching a hand above her she held onto the rib, her nails digging into the wood, the other hand's nails digging into Jethro's shoulder. A rush of excitement ran through her as she felt the hot skin of his hardness press intimately against her thigh. "Jethro," She growled.

Jethro pressed his face into her neck as he thrust into her a little roughly, her soft sharp cry made him pull back a little but her legs tightened around him, drawing him back in. He listened to her ragged breathing in his ear. She nudged his cheek softly, urging him to move.

He moved hard and fast, anything to keep her moaning in his ear. The unmistakable flutter of her muscles around him made him ground his teeth and thrust even harder. Her arms dropped from where they were holding onto the rib and wrapped around him. She moved against him until she stiffened against him. He kept moving until his vision went white and he growled into her skin.

They were still wrapped around each other, their hot bodies rapidly cooling. Jenny tried catching her breath as she leaned her forehead against Jethro's shoulder, his ragged breathing in her ear sent another tingle down her spine. She listened to his erratic heartbeat as it returned to its normal pace. The boat's rib was still digging into her back, she winced slightly as Jethro shifted and the wood scraped against her skin.

Jethro put her back on her own two feet, his thumb running over the faint scratch the wood had left on her back. He leaned down and kissed her reverently, still holding her close to him. He pushed the wisps of hair out of her face, "You okay?"

Jenny simply nodded, sliding her arms around his waist to keep him close. It always amazed her how warm he was despite the fact that it was almost freezing. Shivering involuntarily she felt Jethro tighten his hold on her. She pressed a kiss to his chest and moved to where her clothing was scattered on the floor.

Jethro buttoned his jeans and pulled his shirt over his head. He moved back to the workbench and poured himself some more bourbon. He felt Jenny slip her arms around him, her forehead resting against his back, wrapping his fingers around her wrist he pulled her to stand next to him. She leaned into his side and he offered her some of his bourbon.

Jenny shook her head and let out a slow breath. Reaching up she touched his cheek so he looked at her, standing on the tips of her toes she kissed him softly.

"Thank you." She whispered softly as they pulled apart. Jethro shrugged and smiled down at her.

The coffee machine whirred softly in the kitchen, muffling the sounds of Jenny's footsteps above him. He had offered her some coffee while she disappeared upstairs. He watched as the carafe filled, he tried sorting through his thoughts.

Hearing what Jenny had to say explained a lot. He didn't doubt that her past had influenced the choices that she had made. He knew what it was like carrying something like that around, hoping no-one ever found out. What she had told him had angered him, he couldn't imagine a parent simply breaking all contact with their child. She hadn't told him everything yet and he knew it would take time for her to process everything.

He couldn't put himself in Angela's shoes, leaving his own little girl without explanation. Could he leave Kelly if it meant Shannon could comeback? He doubted that he'd be able to do it, was it selfish of him? Most probably, but he couldn't imagine his life without his little girl.

The percolator beeped drawing him from his musing. Moving around swiftly he filled two mugs with coffee and made his way into the living room.

He poked the glowing embers in the fireplace, adding more wood to get the fire started again. He took a swig from his mug, letting the coffee sooth him. He closed his eyes and listened to the footsteps above him, he knew Jenny had stopped in Kelly's room first, she always said goodnight even if Kelly was already fast asleep.

The floorboards near him creaked and his eyes snapped open, looking up at a pair of sparking green eyes. He patted the spot next to him and Jenny didn't waste any time curling up next to him. He let her settle against him, he didn't feel the need to press her for any more answers. He was content to stare into the flickering flames, and think about the fact that he was turning a year older.

Jenny shifted a little restlessly, her brow furrowed in thought, "I guess Angela leaving my dad was a good thing."

Jethro gave her a strange look, convinced that he had missed something. He raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for her to explain.

"She's still married to the same guy." Jenny pulled her face a little at Jethro and drank from her cup.

"They have kids?" He asked a little hesitantly, he wasn't sure what Jenny's feelings were about the whole situation. She didn't seem upset, but he'd never been good at gauging women's emotions, he always seemed to get it wrong.

"Yeah they do, three sons. One's studying here in DC. The other two work with their father." Jenny shook her head a little. She'd wondered a few times if her mother had had any children after she had left, it never dawned on her that she might have siblings who knew about her. It felt strange, knowing that she had three brothers she knew nothing about.

Jethro was suppressing a smirk next to her and she couldn't really see the humour in her situation. She elbowed him in the ribs when he let a laugh slip. "What's so funny?"

Jethro schooled his features and looked at her, "At least I didn't get any siblings when I went to see my father again."

Jenny narrowed her eyes at him, sticking her tongue out at him a little childishly. He just raised his eyebrows at her and drank his coffee. She shook her head and smiled into her mug.

"She invited us to dinner." Jenny said after a moment of silence, the smile disappearing.

"You wanna go?" He asked quietly.

"I don't want to ruin your birthday." Jenny finished her coffee and placed it on the coffee table, sitting a little straighter and resting her head in her hand as she propped her elbow on the back of the couch.

Jethro shrugged his shoulders, placing his mug next to Jenny's, he reached for her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles. Wrinkling his nose he looked at her, "Doesn't matter, Jen. I'll ask Joann if she can take Kelly for a while."

"No, we're taking her with." Jenny snapped tensely. He narrowed his eyes a little, knowing what her history was, her reactions started making more sense. He nodded his head in agreement and turned back to looking at the fire.

"Talking about your birthday." Jenny purred in his ear, crawling on his lap and settling against him, her arms looping around his neck, "You never told me what you wanted for your birthday, old man."

"Old man?" Jethro asked sarcastically. He snorted and pulled her tightly against him, he gave her a smug smile when she looked at him in surprise, "This old man still has it."

Jenny laughed breathlessly as he ground his hips against hers again. Their almost eight year age difference gave her enough ground to tease him sometimes, she kissed him and wrinkled her nose, "Maybe you're not that old." Jethro snorted and rolled his eyes.

Jenny moved back, settling on his thighs. Jethro reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, he drew his fingers over her cheek before cupping it tenderly. His brow creased as he looked up at her, he smiled at her. He moved closer kissing the underside of her jaw and trailing his lips to her ear.

"I already have everything I want." He whispered in her ear and kissed her passionately.

* * *

Kelly peaked around the bedroom door down the hallway, making sure there was no-one since the last time she checked. She hissed softly at Yoda when he tried to dart past her into the hall. Rushing to her chest of drawers she pulled the bottom drawer open. She pushed the various colouring books aside and found the neatly wrapped package she'd hid in a small box.

Darting back to the door she eyed the hallway again. Yoda whined and she cracked the door open for him to head out first. Sauntering into the hall she looked at her father's slightly ajar bedroom door. Taking a deep breath she ran down the hall quickly and darted inside the room, closing the door with a loud bang.

Jenny looked up sharply from where she was seated on the edge of the large bed, her fingers full of Scotch tape. Kelly gave her an exasperated look and hurried towards her, the wrapped package still firmly in her grip. She dropped a kiss to the little girl's head and continued to place tape on the folded edges of the blue wrapping paper. Kelly deposited her present on the bed and placed her finger on the folded piece of paper Jenny was struggling with.

"Thank you." Jenny smiled at her and proceeded in taping the annoying piece of paper. It had been a mission just to find wrapping paper for the large box. All the blue wrapping paper the stores had to offer either had toy cars on them or snowflakes since Christmas was right around the corner.

She had found a hidden roll of blue paper with various sail boats on it and had grabbed it before anyone else could. She had also stocked up on wrapping paper for all the presents she and Jethro had stashed in her closet where Kelly couldn't find them. Jenny looked over at the navy blue package that sat on the bed, Joann had given her the piece of paper to wrap Kelly's present in it.

"Is daddy still downstairs?" Jenny asked as she eyed the door cautiously. She had sent Jethro downstairs under the pretence that she'd get herself and Kelly ready before they headed out to dinner with her mother.

"Yes, I think. I didn't hear him on the stairs." Kelly looked at the door a little paranoid.

It had been extremely entertaining having Kelly sneak around when they bought Jethro's gifts, she had been convinced her father knew from the start, but Jenny had assured her he didn't. She'd taken the little girl present shopping the previous weekend while Jethro had left for the office. Over the last week Jenny had realised that Kelly had her father's ability to keep a secret.

"Okay let's hurry before he finds us." Jenny smiled at the determined look on Kelly's face. They finished wrapping the box and made sure none of the edges were lifting up.

Jenny slipped her heels on, checking to make sure how much time they had left before they would be late. Handing Kelly the present she got her father, she took the little girls free hand and grabbed the other present. Jenny gave the toddler a once over, she hoped the grey winter dress and black tights stayed clean long enough.

Kelly skipped down the steps and across the floor to the basement door, calling her father to tell him they were ready. She took her spot next to Jenny and looked up at her excitedly. Jenny winked at her when they heard Jethro storm up the old steps.

Jenny felt nervous and she couldn't decide whether it was because of what Jethro's reaction would be or if it had to do with meeting her family.

"Happy Birthday!" Kelly exclaimed as he father came into view. The colour in his cheeks drained briefly at the high pitched shout but he recovered quick enough to catch his daughter as she crashed into his knees. He swung her in the air before holding her in his arms.

Jethro smiled at Kelly, rubbing his nose with hers affectionately. She'd bounced all over them in bed earlier that morning singing her own version of _Happy Birthday_. Jethro kissed her cheek softly and eyed the package in her hands. Placing her on his hip he walked to where Jenny was standing and grinning at him.

"We got you presents, even if you didn't want any." Kelly informed her father matter of factly, thrusting her present into his empty hand. She giggled at the way he pulled his face in surprise, kissing his cheek she wriggled until he placed her on the floor.

Placing her hands on her hips she looked up at her father, "You have to open it."

"Really?" Jethro asked in wonderment, drawing another giggle from his daughter.

"Daddy you're silly." Kelly snickered and moved to stand next to Jenny, leaning against her leg and watching her father.

Jethro smiled at Kelly before he complied and opened her gift. He pulled the Scotch tape open slowly, hoping to save the wrapping as a keep sake along with every other thing Kelly had given him over the years.

Jethro pulled out a pair of grey socks with the Marine insignia on it in the classic yellow colour. He traced the emblem with his thumb, smiling down at Kelly. He'd told her only a number of times that he had been a Marine, but he suspected Jenny had steered her towards the right direction when they picked out the pair of socks.

"Do you like them?" Kelly asked curiously.

Jethro knelt on the floor, opening his arms for a hug. He wrapped his arms around Kelly and hugged her tightly against him. "I certainly do."

Kelly skipped back to Jenny, giving her a pointed look that it was her turn to hand over her present.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Jen." Jethro said as he took the wrapped box off her hands. He watched the slight blush that shot across the bridge of her nose. When she wasn't forth coming with an answer, he started opening the wrapping paper.

He looked at the plain brown box sceptically. He knew Jenny had a knack for being devious and he didn't put it past her to get him, in rather plain English, a _gag_ gift. He lifted the lid of the box carefully, trying to see what was inside before whatever it was jumped on him.

Jenny chewed the inside of her cheek as Jethro opened the box, waiting for his reaction.

Jethro looked up from the content and a genuine smile crossed his face. He lifted one of the brand new boots out of the box, dangling it from his finger tip. It was the same pair he had been looking at to replace the chewed pair.

Looking down he saw Yoda staring at him, he glared at the dog and placed the boot back in the box along with his socks. He placed it high on the bookcase, away from the gnawing pup.

Jethro kissed Jenny softly, whispering his thanks in her ear. She squeezed his hand softly and smiled up at him.

The car was quiet despite the toddler being strapped safely in the back seat. Kelly had brought along one of her many _Dr Seuss_ books, and it's various pictures were keeping her occupied for the time being. Jethro looked over at Jenny, watching her fidget. She picked at the hem of her dress for a while and when she realised she was crumpling the material her hand moved to her neck, toying with the delicate necklace.

Jethro reached over taking her hand in his, she wasn't just stressing herself out, but she was starting to drive him crazy with her fidgeting. He felt her glare at him, but he brushed it off. She was squeezing his hand repeatedly, and he tried to hide his smirk. For a woman who had no qualms about taking down a drug lord, she was pretty nervous about facing her mother.

"I do not like green egg and ham!" Kelly exclaimed from the back seat.

Both adults laughed. They had been taking turns reading that particular book to Kelly, she had heard it enough times by now to start memorising some of the lines. She'd even started saying the words with them when they read at night.

"What comes after that?" Jethro asked curiously, wondering if she'd be able to remember.

"Uh," Kelly looked down at the page, her brow furrowing in frustration, "wo… w-o-u..."

"Would..." Jethro supplied.

"Would you like them here or there?!" Kelly exclaimed again, falling silent as she recited most of the book from memory.

Jenny smiled as she listened to Kelly skip most of the book, only reciting the parts that she remembered. She knew that Kelly probably only recognised about five of the fifty different words, but she felt immensely proud about the fact that she remembered some of the lines. The fact that she'd been hearing the book at preschool probably didn't hurt either.

Jethro turned onto the street that had been scribbled on a piece of paper in Jenny's neat curly handwriting. He'd noticed that they were close to where Ducky's home was, and he had deducted that the rich businessman had done really well for himself. He squinted slightly to read the house numbers.

He glared when he heard Jenny mumble _'Old man'_ under her breath as he tried deciphering the numbering.

"It's dark." He growled at her quiet snicker, "-ish" he added silently. Finding the right number he turned into the long driveway, stopping right behind a black Mercedes.

The sun was just starting to disappear behind the thick brush surrounding the house. Jethro helped Kelly out of the back seat, shaking his head when she told him to be careful with her dress. He settled her on his hip, her storybook and backpack in his other hand. Closing the Audi's door softly, he walked around the car.

Jenny took the backpack and storybook from him, looking at the house guardedly. He was willing to bet that if he offered to take her back home she'd jump at the opportunity. Placing his free hand on her lower back he waited patiently for her to start moving.

The front door to the large house swung open and Jenny felt her heart drop, any thought of running away was not an option any more. She looked over at Jethro and he winked at her, reaching for his hand on her back, she laced her fingers with his.

Angela rushed down the porch steps, a warm smile gracing her features as she met her guests halfway. She didn't miss the anxiousness in her daughter's green orbs and she was hoping she'd be able to make her feel at home once they were inside. Her gaze drifted to Jethro whom she had met briefly, she smiled at the shy little girl in his arms.

"I'm glad you could make it." Angela said softly as she hugged an unsuspecting Jenny.

Jenny stiffened slightly, she hugged her mother back a little awkwardly, smiling tensely as she pulled away. Her heart was now in her throat, and she knew Jethro could see the small bead of sweat that rolled down her neck, despite the fact that her hair was down. She felt him squeeze her hand briefly and she knew he was there right beside her.

Angela greeted Jethro and turned her attention to the little girl in his arms. "You must be Kelly?" She cooed at the toddler as she stared at her with large blue eyes.

"Yes." Kelly mumbled.

"Kelly," Jethro whispered softly, "say hi to Jenny's mommy."

Kelly looked up at her father a little put off, turning back to the woman she gave her a shy smile, "Hi." burying her face in his neck she hugged him closer.

Jenny gripped Jethro's hand tighter, her nails biting into his skin, he squeezed her hand back loosening her grip slightly. She desperately wanted to leave, she didn't know why she let Jethro talk her into agreeing to this shindig in the first place. He had practically forced her into picking up the phone, and now she was pissed at him.

They were ushered into the foyer of the grand house, Jenny prayed that Jethro would take one look at these people and suggest they leave. Somewhere it registered that she was being unreasonable, but she couldn't care less. The weight against her leg drew her form her thoughts, looking down she saw Kelly lean against her. She placed a hand on the little girl's head, knowing she was probably just as uncomfortable as she was.

Angela took the backpack and book from Jenny, placing it on the small antique table. Jenny looked at Jethro, shooting a rather discreet glare at him, he looked calm and at ease and she was secretly envying him. There were footsteps somewhere above them.

"Jenny, I'd like you to meet my husband." Angela held her hand out to Julio as he walked towards her.

Jenny straightened a little, she hadn't even noticed the two men who had joined them in the foyer. She did an impressive job of acting calm, despite the fact that she was a nervous wreck on the inside. She offered her hand to the older man as he stepped closer.

"We've been waiting a long time to meet you." Julio said quietly as he clasped her hand in both of his.

Jenny simply nodded her head, not entirely sure how to reply. He patted her hand softly, the understanding in his eye putting her a little at ease. He turned to Jethro and introduced himself in his thick Italian accent. Jenny felt Kelly move away form her to cling to her father again, the little girl was showing exactly how she felt about meeting all these people. Kelly hid behind her father's legs when the attention was turned to her.

The younger man moved hesitantly towards Jenny, he seemed almost uncomfortable in his casual dinner jacket and crisp white shirt. She watched as his eyes flicked to her mother's uncertainly before he walked towards her. He looked about as nervous as she was feeling, it dawned on her that this whole ordeal was probably just as stressful for them as it was for her.

The unruly curls were a clear indication that they were in fact related, he had chocolate brown eyes and his smile was reminiscent of his father's. The young man held out his hand towards Jenny, giving her what could only be described as a charming smile.

"James." He introduced himself in what almost sounded like a British accent.

"Jenny." She shook his hand, she assumed he had been schooled in England.

James grinned at her and said a brief 'hello' to the man next to her, greeting him respectfully and giving the little girl a small wave. He turned back to his sister, the smile almost impossible to hide. He was about to say something when there was a clatter on the stairscase followed by loud footsteps down the stairs.

Further up the staircase there was something muttered in Italian. The eldest of the twins appeared first, his curly hair a little more unruly and significantly longer than James'. Angela scolded him softly at the amount of noise he was causing. He simply grinned at her and rushed to the redhead.

He cocked a dark eyebrow at her, a cheeky grin causing his dimples to deepen, "You're my sister, right?"

Before Jenny could answer the other twin appeared, his his cheeks flushed. He muttered something in Italian and Julio scolded him this time. His _All Star_ sneakers squeaked on the wooden floors as he joined his brother, the same smile curling his lips.

"I'm Angelo." The eldest twin introduced himself. He ignored the hand held out towards him and pulled Jenny into a tight hug.

"I'm Marco." The other one introduced, hugging his sister as well.

Jenny placed a hand against her chest, her cheeks slightly flushed, she had been caught of guard by their rather boisterous welcome, "Jenny." she said once they had let her go and were standing side by side.

Jethro eyed the two boys, he had to admit if only to himself that they all three looked pretty much the same, except that James' features were a little sharper. Seeing all three boys next to each other and then seeing them next to Jenny, he couldn't help but notice that the four of them definitely took after their mother. Despite Jenny's beautiful red hair.

The twins were a little calmer when they turned to him, he raised an eyebrow and immediately held out his hand, not too fond of them attacking him the same way. They greeted him with the same enthusiasm and he simply introduced himself as "Gibbs."

Jethro picked Kelly up when she started tugging on his trousers insistently. She cuddled into him, she kept staring at the twins curiously. Jethro nudged her gently with his shoulder and shook his head, silently telling her it was rude to stare. Kelly frowned at him.

"Daddy," She whispered loudly, looking at him with large blue eyes, "why do they look the same?"

It was ultimately what broke the ice, everyone laughed including Jenny. Jethro felt the tips of his ears heat up, he was slightly embarrassed by his daughter's question and he had no idea how to explain it.

"We were born at the same time." Angelo supplied when the laughter died down. He smiled at his sister and at the man with her. "Nice shoes." He said to the little girl, noting that she was wearing the same shoes as him and Marco.

There was soft music playing in the kitchen, and it sounded like smooth jazz. Jenny pulled Kelly a little closer against her, watching over her shoulder as she coloured one of the pictures in her colouring book. Kelly had abandoned her father in favour of Jenny. Jethro had disappeared with Julio for a drink, both men seemed to have clicked when they realised they shared the same love for classic cars.

James stopped the crayon that was rolling across the table, placing it amongst the pile of brightly coloured crayons. He smiled at the little girl when she thanked him and looked back at his sister.

"I hear you're studying here in DC." Jenny smiled at the slight blush that coloured James' cheeks. She'd noticed that he was extremely shy, but no less witty than the other two.

"Yeah, I'm aiming to be a doctor one day." He said determinedly.

"Why DC?" Jenny asked after a moment, he averted his gaze from her and looked at Angela as she moved around in the kitchen, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Because he was hoping to find you." Angelo answered as he sauntered into the kitchen. He pulled out a chair at the table and took a seat next to his sister, resting his hand on the back of her chair. He pulled his face at James when he saw him scowling at him.

"Mama always told us about you, and the older we got the more we wanted to know you." Angelo looked at his sister, a small smile on his lips, "Twenty years is a long time."

Kelly slipped off Jenny's lap, sauntering towards Angela where she was moving around the kitchen. She peaked around the corner of the island eyeing the older woman curiously. She gasped softly when Angela turned and looked right at her. The older woman motioned for her to come closer but she took a step back, looking over at Jenny. Angela watched as Jenny nodded at the little girl that it was okay.

Jenny watched as her mother picked Kelly up and they moved around the kitchen together. She felt a little nostalgic remembering the rare moments she got to spend time with her mother. She turned back to the table and watched Angelo look at her closely. He was far more insightful than he let on, despite his goofy antics, in a way he reminded her of Tony.

"I take it she isn't yours?" Angelo asked quietly.

Jenny shook her head, "No, she's Jethro's daughter."

Angelo nodded, he wanted to ask about how they had met but he didn't want to push too much, he flicked one of the crayons at his brother, "Gibbs doesn't strike me as the smiling type." he whispered softly to Jenny while looking over at his mother.

"Angelo, I wouldn't smile if I met you either." Angela teased from where she was in the kitchen.

"She hears everything." Angelo grumbled.

Jenny laughed, she had thought the same of Jethro the first time she met him, "He's even less friendly at work. You're lucky he even introduced himself."

"I like him." Marco said as he moseyed into the kitchen heading straight for the pots on the stove. Angela slapped his hand when he tried stealing icing off of the cake she was icing. He ruffled Kelly's hair when she giggled softly and joined his siblings at the table.

"You're just a suck up." James muttered as he threw a crayon at Angelo.

Angela shook her head at their bantering. She looked over at the breakfast table, watching all four her children laughing, it was something she never thought she'd be able to see. Blinking she felt the tears roll down her cheeks. Looking down she saw the little girl look up at her.

The beautiful blue eyes narrowed a little in confusion, before a tiny hand reached up and wiped away the tears. Angela smiled down at her and she grinned cutely.

Jenny made her way to where Kelly was seated on the marble counter, her feet swinging as she licked the wooden spoon full of chocolate icing. The other three had been sent to set the table because they wouldn't stop throwing things at each other.

There were chocolate smears all over Kelly's face, even across one of her eyebrows. Jenny kissed Kelly's forehead and stood next to her, making sure she didn't decide to jump off without any help. Angela handed her a cloth to wipe away the chocolate stains.

"Daddy's getting a chocolate cake cause it's his birthday." Kelly said as Jenny wiped her face clean.

"And we both know he secretly loves chocolate." Jenny whispered as she looked Kelly over to make sure there were no remnants of icing left.

Angela took off her apron and hung it on one of the many tiny hooks that held all sorts of things. She placed her jewellery back on and moved to stand next to her daughter. She rested a small hand on her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. She felt Jenny stiffen slightly before she relaxed.

Marco swept through the kitchen, offering Kelly a piggyback ride to call her father for dinner. He said something in Italian when Angela told him to be careful.

"Kelly really likes Marco." Jenny observed as the two of them headed out of the kitchen. She reached for the necklace around her neck again, this time thinking about the person who gave it to her.

"It takes a brave man to raise a little girl." Angela said softly as she placed a kiss in her daughters thick red curls.

Jenny smiled, she thought of the things Jethro had to put up with sometimes. She thought of her father, remembering some of the days they couldn't stand each other, but she wouldn't change any of it. He had taught her a lot as a child and as an adult.

"I still can't believe Jasper took-"

"He didn't." Jenny snapped, her cheeks flushing with anger.

Angela frowned at her daughter, placing a hand on her cheek, "I know it's hard on you, Jenny."

"Do you ever regret marrying my father?" Jenny asked as she stepped away from her mother.

"No, if I hadn't, I never would have had you."

The noise in the dining room stopped any conversation between the two women.

Jethro placed a hand on Jenny's thigh under the table, he had seen the tenseness in her form when she had made her way next to him, and he had seen right through the fake smile she had plastered on. She was putting on a good show of seeming interested in what her mother had to say. He waited until they weren't paying attention to them before he leaned closer to her.

"You still okay?" He asked quietly, watching her turn the fake smile on him and nod her head. Jethro watched Jenny out the corner of his eye. Something was bothering her and he wanted to know what it was. The hard look in her eyes were the same as when she talked about her father.

"Wait so you were a Marine and now you work for NCIS?" Angelo asked through a mouthful of chicken.

"Yeah," Jethro grumbled at the eldest twin.

"And that's where you met Jenny?" James asked after he swallowed.

Jethro nodded at the young man. He looked over at Jenny who smiled at her brother, he'd noticed that the two of them had hit it off right from the beginning and he wondered if it was some sort of instinct. The conversation flowed again and he was left alone for time being.

Looking over at Kelly who was seated next to him and Marco, he let his thoughts wander for a moment. He'd never thought about more children, hell he never even thought the opportunity would present itself after he returned from Somalia. Watching the three Bernardi boys made him realise that he wouldn't mind having more children.

Feeling Jenny lacing her fingers with his under the table, he gripped her hand in his. He'd been thinking about her a lot lately and what their future together might look like, and he was considering making things between them more permanent. He pressed a kiss to her temple and listened to the conversation around them.

Dessert had been dished out and Jethro was on his second slice of cake, he could see the smirk Jenny kept giving him. He had very few guilty pleasures, but apple pie and chocolate cake were amongst them. He pulled Jenny's hair playfully without anyone seeing it, and she dug her nails into her thigh in retaliation.

"How long have you been an agent, Jenny?" Angelo asked again, something wasn't adding up.

"Three years." Jenny answered. She felt Jethro's hand still on her shoulder, but he quickly recovered and was running his finger over her shoulder again.

"Before that, you were a lawyer. Right?" Angelo pressed on, not realising that his questioning was going to cause problems between the couple he was looking at.

"Angelo, basta! What is it with all the questions?" Julio scolded from the head of the table. He shook his head at his son, telling him to stop it. He knew they were excited but he could see that they were making Jenny uncomfortable.

"I was a lawyer, but things change." Jenny gave her usual platonic answer, smiling at Julio as he glared at Angelo.

* * *

Jethro rocked Kelly gently as they stepped into the icy night air, he could see her trying to fight against falling sleep, but her eyes drifted shut just as they reached the car. Marco opened the door for him, and he placed Kelly in her car seat, strapping her in securely. He placed her stuffed turtle under her head as a pillow and covered her with his coat, and closed the door quietly.

"It was nice to finally meet you." Angelo whispered in his sister's ear as he hugged her, he kissed her cheek softly and stepped aside.

Marco hugged Jenny tightly and pulled his face at her, "Keep in touch, don't go dropping off the face of the earth again."

Jenny smiled at the youngest and touched his cheek softly. James looked at her uncertainly but he moved closer for a hug too. "I'll see you around?" he asked her when they pulled apart.

"Of course. It's still a while away, but if you're not flying back to Europe for Christmas, give me a call." Jenny squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

They greeted everyone and were soon waving goodbye as they backed out of the driveway. Jethro let out a heavy sigh and gripped the steering wheel in both hands. He narrowed his eyes a little and concentrated on the road in front of him. He wasn't going to snap at Jenny while Kelly was in the car, because he was more than sure his questioning was going to cause a fight.

Jenny stared out the window, she could feel Jethro bristle next to her, but she was too far away to think about what his problem was. She realised once again while talking to her mother that she had lost sight of what she had originally set out to do. She was starting to question her loyalty to both her father and Jethro.

Recently she'd been wondering why she had decided to take a break from pursuing a fast and notorious climb up the NCIS ladder for a year back home. There had been a great opportunity to run an undercover Op in Russia, but it wasn't where she wanted to be so she'd suggested they give the Op to another agent. When she had started in DC she had been concerned that Jethro might get the Op she so desperately wanted.

It was before she knew he had a child, before she had fallen in love with him – before she even considered that she might actually love him.

She had taken this year because her leads had run cold, the bastard who had killed her father had gone underground. It had been over seven months since the last time she heard anything form one of her contacts in Europe, she'd often wondered if the French bastard had caught on to her plan. Jethro's words kept ringing in her ears.

Perspective.

She had perspective. She knew what it was like to lose someone, to have them murdered in cold blood and have people tell her the person took their own life. Jenny also knew what it was like to be surrounded with people who loved her, knew what it felt like to be wrapped in someone's arms who meant the world to her. It made her choice that much harder, could she leave the people she loved to pursue an evasive killer.

The familiar street lights drew her from her thoughts. She gathered the things near her feet and got out of the car, opening the house so Jethro could get Kelly tucked in for the night. She deposited everything on the breakfast table and started the percolator, listening to the machine stutter to life.

Climbing the stairs one at a time she could hear Jethro snap at the rambunctious pup as he rushed around the room wanting to play before bed. Shaking her head she headed for the master bedroom, eager to get out of her dress and heels. She kicked off her heels as she closed the door behind her, dropping her head against it momentarily.

Finding a pair of sweats and one of Jethro's t-shirts, she changed quickly and started taking off her make-up. The door cracked open and Jethro appeared, two cups in his hands. He placed Jenny's on her night stand, and walked to his side of the bed.

Jenny slipped between the sheets, she shivered slightly, it surprised her how cold Jethro's bedroom was sometimes. Reaching for the steaming cup of coffee she sipped it slowly.

Jethro threw his trousers in the hamper along with his dress shirt. He took a seat on the edge of the bed, taking the offending alarm clock, he set the alarm to the right time it was supposed to go off in the morning. He turned the clock over in his hands looking at it instead of the woman behind him. Placing the clock back in its spot he looked up and stared at the blank wall in front of him.

"Jen," He said a little gruffly, "I respect your privacy." he placed a hand on the back of his neck, rubbing the stiff muscles. "But I don't appreciate you keeping things from me."

"Excuse me?" Jenny snapped as he turned to face her. "What's next, Jethro, you going to tell me I'm lying to you again."

"Why didn't you tell me you were a lawyer?" Jethro growled.

"Oh, so that's what this is about." Jenny narrowed her eyes, "Would it have made a difference if you had know before tonight?"

"That's not the point."

"What is the point, Jethro? Are you pissed that I didn't tell you, or can't you accept the fact that I kept it from you?" Jenny's voice rose slightly in anger.

"It wouldn't be the only thing you've kept from me." Jethro snapped angrily. He stood up from the bed and moved to stand near the window, his fingers gripping his hair painfully hard.

"You bastard." Jenny barked at him, she grabbed his pillow and threw it at him.

Jethro turned around just as the pillow hit him in the face, he grabbed it before it hit the floor, throwing it on the bed. He didn't have much time to think because Jenny was right on top of him, backing him up against the wall, her petite body pinning his.

"At least I told you voluntarily about my past. I didn't hide it like you, when clearly you had a child with someone." Jenny growled, she pressed her hands against his chest as hard as she could. He was much taller than her, but she wouldn't let that get in her way. Tilting her head back a little she glared at him dangerously, "If I hadn't walked in on you and Joann arguing, I doubt I would ever have found out about Shannon."

"Yeah, but I didn't lie about it to begin with. You never even asked about her!" Jethro grabbed Jenny's wrists to stop her from digging her fingers into his chest.

"You got angry each time I tried!" Jenny snarled nastily.

"I never lied to you!"

"I never lied to you either. I'm sorry if I don't spill my guts to you each time you glare at me." Jenny took a step back, her chest heaving slightly. "If you're going to think that I lie to you all the time, this isn't going to work."

Jethro heard the ringing in his ears subside as he got his temper under control. He could see the pain in Jenny's eyes when he had accused her of lying. He knew she wasn't lying, he had noticed her right eye twitched whenever she did try to lie. He pulled her against his chest, holding her tightly against him when she tried to get away from him.

"Jenny," Jethro whispered softly, dropping his head and resting his forehead against hers.

"What?" She asked roughly, she could see the thin blue rings around his pupils darken as he stared at her mouth.

"I'm sorry." He grumbled against her lips.

Jenny twisted the material of his t-shirt in her hands, yanking him down to her level, she licked her lips and ground out between clenched teeth, "You're so hot when you're angry." and crashed her lips against his.

The trees branches slammed against the window as the wind blew. Jenny listened to Jethro's steady breathing, his hot breath rushing over the skin of her abdomen as he slept with his head on her stomach. Running her fingers through his soft hair, she watched the shadows as they danced across the walls eerily. Jethro mumbled in his sleep and she hushed him quietly.

Her mind was too busy to actually sleep.

They hadn't discussed anything, they had simply ripped the others clothes off and tumbled onto the bed. She knew that it had been a perfect opportunity to come clean about her father. She had wanted to tell him, it was eating her on the inside keeping it from him, but she wasn't sure what his reaction would be. There had been ample opportunity to discuss the things they were keeping from each other.

Jenny sighed, she wasn't stupid, she knew there was something Jethro was keeping from her. It was something about Shannon, she'd seen the way his eyes had glazed over when she had mentioned her name.

It was the secrets they kept from each other that would be their downfall. Jenny looked down at Jethro, running her fingers over his forehead, he looked peaceful – happy even. His hold on her thigh tightened as he snuggled into her, letting out a soft puff of air.

Jenny ran her fingers through his hair again. Was their relationship strong enough to survive when their secrets became too much?

* * *

 _You guessed it, the end is insight, there's about two more very **long** – not too long – chapters to this story and then of course an epilogue. Stay tuned to see if their relationship has what it takes._

 _As always your thoughts are welcomed ;)_


	13. Trying not to love you

_**Disclaimer:** _I don't own anything you recognize._ _Except for the mistakes those are mine.__

 ** _A/N_** : _As always you lot know how to make my day. Thanks for all the lovely reviews._ _Those new to the story welcome. I have to confess that I jinxed myself by saying this chapter was going to be longer than usual. Hope you can forgive me._ _The title is borrowed from a Nickelback song, and it's also the same song that inspired the whole story._ _If you can, listen to it, it's_ _a_ _really good song._

 ** _Warning_** **:** _It feels like it's a little predictable, but what the hell right, it works._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

Tony munched happily on an _Abby_ -cookie, it had always been a mystery to him how she could bake them in her lab. He remembered the first time he'd received one of the cookies, he'd been with team Gibbs just a month shy of a year. Abby had started a couple of months after him, and ever since she'd placed the cookie on his desk he had started celebrating Christmas again.

He smiled at Ziva as she passed by him and headed for the break room. They were all just waiting for twelve o'clock to roll around so they could call it a day. It had been a surprise when the Director announced that they could leave early for Christmas Eve and have Christmas Day off along with Boxing Day, but they were still on standby. It left him with enough time to get some last minute gifts before he had to be at Fielding residence.

Tony reached for another cookie and bit off the head, chewing rather loudly. He could see Kate roll her eyes from where she was seated next to McGee, smiling to himself he continued to chew.

Kate glared at Tony before turning back to Tim, trying to block out her juvenile co-worker. She pulled the manuscript closer, preferring to concentrate on the latest chapter of Tim's book. She had been pleasantly surprised when he had asked her if she would mind reading a snipped of his book. So far she found it hard to put the novel down, despite the fact that she'd found herself inserted in a fictional story.

In the background DiNozzo was still chewing like the caveman he sometimes pretended to be. Kate shook her head and turned back to the manuscript, out the corner of her eye she could see Gibbs clench his jaw in frustration. He'd been pleasant despite the fact that it was just before Christmas and he hated the holiday season, but she guessed it had something to do with Kelly coming into work with him and Jenny – and maybe even with the red-headed woman herself.

"This is really good, Tim." Kate complimented the young man, closing the manuscript and handing it back to him. She smiled when he blushed bright red and stammered a soft thanks.

"Do you really think it's good?" McGee asked uncertainly, he felt his cheeks heat up even more when Kate gave him a pointed look. He'd been apprehensive to ask her if she would be kind enough to read some of his work. He'd chosen Kate since she teased him the least about his geekyness. He initially wanted to ask Jenny since she was the only one who never made fun of him. He doubted she'd take kindly to the fact that he had taken advantage of her relationship with his boss, since they were both very private people.

"McGee, I wouldn't lie to you about this." Kate placed her hand on Tim's and gave his a reassuring smile.

"Hey, McTypewriter, what are the two of you whispering about?" Tony asked with a full mouth.

"Your obnoxious eating habits." Kate shot at him as she pulled her face in disgust. He gave her a patronizing look and continued to annoy everyone around him.

Jethro looked up from the hardware catalogue he had been paging through to pass some time. He was starting to grow impatient with his teams sudden desire to not only annoy each other – but him as well. He couldn't wait to get out of the building quick enough, because he was itching to shoot one of them, and his first victim would be Tony. He grit his teeth when his senior field agent decided to chew like a horse, just to annoy the other two.

He heard the frustrated huff behind him and he could practically see her slam her pen down on the desk. Jethro tried hiding his smile, she was either going to shout or hurl something at an unsuspecting DiNozzo. His red-headed lover did not disappoint when a paper-ball shot past his ear and hit Tony right in the face.

She was one hell of a marksman.

The first one to react was Kate, she let out an almost triumphant laugh followed by McGee who seemed to find his co-worker's reaction rather hilarious.

Tony looked over at Gibbs with a shocked expression – his mouth slightly agape – he hadn't even seen his boss lift a hand to throw the ball at him. When Gibbs pointed behind him he stared into a pair of sparkling green eyes. He straightened automatically, dropping his feet off of his desk and sitting up straighter. If there was anyone he feared more than the Boss-man himself it was the Lady-Boss. He gave her a weak attempt at a charming smile and placed his half eaten cookie back on the paper plate.

"Agent DiNozzo, your eating habits are extremely annoying." Jenny snapped from behind the divider. She glared at the young Italian and was satisfied when he looked thoroughly chastised.

Tony looked longingly at his _Abby_ -cookies, he turned and glared at Kate and McGee feeling almost betrayed by their laughter.

Jethro pushed his chair away from the desk, in no mood to listen to his team snap at each other. He glared at them when they looked up to see where he was going. Sauntering out of the bullpen to the one next-door, he perched on Jenny's desk – picking up a discarded rubber band and playing with it – happy to annoy _her_ while she tried finishing her paperwork.

There was a faint jingle of bells somewhere in the building, it was hard to discern exactly where the noise was coming from since the entire squad room was decorated for the holiday seasons – compliments of Abby Sciuto. There was another rush of bells, this time a little closer. Jethro looked over the divider trying to see who was making the irritating noise.

A mass of red appeared around the corner. Abby's high platform boots were decorated with small bells and were consequently causing the annoying ringing. The forensic scientist was dressed in her annual Christmas getup, from the decorated boots to the bright red jumper and the precariously placed Santa hat on her head.

Kelly was on her back, dressed like an elf, the bells on her pointy green shoes ringing with each step Abby took. They were quite the pair, marching around the halls of NCIS spreading the spirit of Christmas. Kelly started bouncing around excitedly when she spotted her father and Jenny.

Abby placed Kelly on her feet and they sauntered into the first bullpen. Kelly threw herself over Jenny's legs, grinning up at her father as he raised an eyebrow at her. She scrunched her nose at him and hoisted herself up onto Jenny's legs, snuggling into her for a little warmth.

Jethro watched his daughter as she started babbling about her escapades with Abby. It felt strange that she didn't rush to him first any more, he was used to her crashing into him and talking almost non-stop. He couldn't find it in him to be jealous of Jenny, instead he'd found that he actually enjoyed watching them interact.

"Thanks for dressing her up, Gibbs." Abby whispered softly in his ear.

Jethro gave her a smile. Abby had dropped the elf costume off last night, practically begging them to dress Kelly in the silly outfit. He had been a little reluctant at first, but Kelly had begged along with the Goth to wear the costume for Christmas Eve. He suspected Jenny had something to do with it as well since she had been the one to convince him to agree.

"She looks cute." He replied gruffly, glaring at Jenny when she looked up at him with a smug smile.

Jenny ran her fingers through Kelly's soft curls, listening to her talk. There had been a cute hat that had gone with the costume, but it appeared to have gone missing on their adventure around the Navy Yard. Adjusting Kelly on her lap, she continued with finishing the last of her paperwork.

"Is there anything you need me to transport?" Abby asked with large green eyes. She smiled excitedly at Jenny when she looked at her. It was the first Christmas that they'd be sharing with Kelly and the Goth had done almost everything to make the day as magical as possible.

Jenny pressed her lips together tightly trying to run through the mental check-list she had created. Shaking her head she smiled at the young woman, "No, everything is taken care of. Noemi took most of it, she's probably over at Joann's already."

"Okay." Abby said cheerfully and left them. Skipping out of the bullpen and towards the next, "Tony, why so glum? It's Christmas."

Jethro rolled his eyes as he heard Tony moan about being abused. Blocking his team out he turned back to Jenny, glaring at her until she dropped her pen and looked up at him with a questioning look. He could see she was irritated with the bantering next-door, but he wouldn't let that deter him from making his displeasure known.

"Why did we agree to this again?"

"Because everyone's busy Christmas Day, and your team wants to share the magic of the holiday season with Kelly." Jenny answered while filling out the rest of her paperwork.

Jethro grumbled under his breath. He was looking forward to a quiet Christmas Day with Kelly and Jenny with the possibility of James joining them. Now he had been subjected to celebrate the pesky holiday for two days in a row, and he wasn't happy about it.

"You hear anything from your brother?" Jethro asked as he placed the rubber band he'd been toying with on the desk. He had thought about shooting Tony with it, but decided against it.

"Yeah, he called earlier this morning. He'll be there in the afternoon, but he said he couldn't stay long." Jenny finally closed the Manila folder and stacked it on top of the other files. Switching off her desk lamp she passed Kelly to Jethro.

Jethro cradled Kelly against his chest, she smiled up at him and he scrunched his nose at her, "You ready to get out of here?"

"Are we going to Nana's?" Kelly asked hopefully.

"Maybe." Jethro answered and tickled her.

Jenny straightened her desk, placing the rest of the files she had to go over in her bag. Massaging her temples a little, she took a deep breath, finally able to relax after two very long weeks of almost no sleep. They had been given two homicide- and three domestic violence cases, which resulted in being called out before the crack of dawn almost each morning.

She didn't even want to know how Jethro managed to solve his four murders and look like he hadn't lost a nights sleep. She guessed it had something to do with the two extra team members he had. Meeting his worried gaze she gave him a tight smile, not wanting him to nag her about getting some sleep. She took his hand as they made their way to his desk.

"Can we leave?" Tony shot out of his chair, looking at his boss with pleading eyes.

Jethro shooed them all away. He felt himself relax as they all traipsed to the elevator, still arguing about something. He shook his head giving Jenny an exasperated look when she laughed at him. Picking Kelly up he stood her on his desk, helping her unbutton the silly green jacket of the costume. Jenny handed him the thick jacket and trousers Kelly had been dressed in to fight off the cold the snow brought with it.

Jethro switched off his desk lamp and computer monitor, finally ready to leave work behind for the next day and a half. Slinging his own backpack over his shoulder, he took Kelly off the desk and let her settle on his hip. Placing his free hand on Jenny's lower back he steered her towards the elevator.

"Special Agent Shepard!" Jenny spun around, her shoulders already slumping.

Leon marched down the stairs, looking as over worked and tired as the rest of them. Scuttlebutt had been doing its rounds recently, and one if the stories were that there was a mole in the Russian Ops team. Jenny knew it was hard separating fact from fiction, but she'd been called into MTAC enough over the last month, to know the threat was real, and that there had been a leak.

Leon buttoned his jacket like he usually did, his ever present toothpick between his teeth. He gave Gibbs a slight nod of acknowledgement and waved back at Kelly when she waved at him. He turned back to Jenny, motioning for her to step aside for moment, "I was hoping to speak with you before you left."

"Sure." Jenny turned back to Jethro looking at him apologetically, she knew he'd wanted to run a few errands after work but it would have to wait. "He wants to talk to me, meet you back home?"

"Okay," Jethro took her backpack from her, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

Jenny waved at Kelly as they entered the elevator. Waiting until the metal doors slid shut, she turned her attention back to the Director. "You look like hell, Leon."

Leon smiled at her tiredly. He motioned for her to walk with him back to his office. He agreed with her, he felt like hell, but he couldn't take a moment to himself until the situation in Russia had been resolved. Sec-Nav along with all the other higher ups had been breathing down his neck, until he could tell them how the biggest names in Arms Dealing had been tipped off about their entire operation.

It was why he had Jenny join him in MTAC, she had an incredible knack for sniffing out a bad apple, that's why her request to be benched for a while had thrown him for a loop. There was no doubt that in a few years she'd be taking his spot in the big office, but until then she was the best undercover agent he had.

Opening the heavy metal door to his office, Leon allowed Jenny to step inside. Shutting the door with a thud, he offered her one of the plush leather chairs in front of his desk to sit in. Taking a seat in his chair he let out a tired sigh, he was looking forward to the next two days off – more than his agents were. Unlocking the top drawer of his desk he pulled out a thick Manila file.

Dropping the file on his desk, he leaned back in his chair. "I have to congratulate you on the last two weeks, you and Officer David had handled the stress quite well."

Jenny narrowed her eyes slightly, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. She and Ziva had been in dire situations before, the long hours were getting to them more than the strain of working the cases. "Just doing our job." Jenny tilted her head to the side speculatively, "But you didn't invite me up here just to talk about our case solving skills."

Leon thumbed the corner of the file, the woman was too perceptive for her own good.

"When you requested a year off from undercover work, I had been apprehensive about the idea." Leon informed the redhead, narrowing his eyes at her, "It was an unusual request, although it was probably a God-sent. I would have hated pulling you out of a mission the way I had to pull the agents in Russia this week."

"Decker was dirty, everyone knew that, it was just a matter of time before it caught up with him." Jenny looked up from flicking imaginary dust off her trousers. They had all been surprised when they had traced everything back to Will Decker, but she had suspected him since her failed mission in Prague.

"Is that why you didn't take the Op?" Leon probed a little further. The information in the file weighed heavily on his mind. He needed someone he could trust on this, and she was sitting right in front of him.

Gibbs was completely out of the question, he doubted he'd be able to live with himself if he took away little Kelly's father as well.

"It's hard living in Russia." Jenny gave a slight smile, "For anyone."

Jenny shifted in her chair, sitting a little more forward. She was itching to leave and get home, she had planned on a few hours of sleep, but the longer Leon was stalling the more the thought looked more like a wish. Sitting up straighter she met the Director's gaze.

"Leon, if you asked me up here just to tell me it was a job well done. I appreciate it, but I would really like to get going, and I'm sure so would you. I don't think Jackie would be very forgiving if you were late."

"No, no she won't." Leon gave a humorous laugh.

Turning more serious he flicked the corner of the file one last time before sliding it across the table. Leaning back in his chair, he fished for a toothpick in his inside jacket pocket. Finding one that hadn't splintered from his vigorous chewing, he looked at Jenny a little guardedly. This could only go two ways, it could either work in his favour or it could cause him more stress until it was handled.

"I have a proposition for you." Leon straightened in his chair as well, resting his clasped hands on the desk. "Recent intel suggests that the Arms business has moved to France."

Jenny felt her stomach clench, her heartbeat started picking up, a sense of excitement building up inside her. The feeling disappeared quickly when she realised she'd be sent to Europe again, leaving behind two people who had become a part of her everyday life, people she loved.

"You want me to go." Jenny stated neutrally, not allowing her emotions to get the better of her. Right now she had to think of the bigger picture.

"I realise there's some conflict of interest concerning this. I'm aware of your relationship with Gibbs, and I hope you'll be able to make a decision."

"My romantic involvement with Jethro doesn't influence my work, you know that." Jenny snapped tensely, she was going to have to make a decision and she wasn't sure whether she was going to like the outcome.

Leon placed a hand on the file, looking at Jenny seriously, "A Lebanese trawler is set to arrive in Marseille on New Year's Eve. That's were the Op starts, after that you'll be sent to Paris."

"How long?" Jenny took the thick folder, flipping it open and going through some of the reports.

"Three maybe five months. After that, you might be looking at a promotion, if you were to accept the Op that is." Leon leaned back in his chair, "Agent Callen has taken over in Russia, so we won't be sending you there after France."

"Say I go, is Ziva joining me?" It was crucial that the Israeli go with her, she couldn't risk an Op because she didn't trust her partner, and Ziva was one of the few people she actually trusted.

"Mossad is already in France." Leon answered, dropping his toothpick in the dustbin and taking a new one out of his pocket. "I'll give you two days to think about this, but I need someone I trust in Marseille by the 28th."

Jenny nodded and placed the thick Manila file back on the desk, pushing it back towards Leon. She reached for her necklace, trying to decide what her next move should be. She'd have to discuss this with Ziva, and then most importantly with Jethro before she made a decision. "I'll let you know as soon as possible."

Jenny stood from her chair, pulling her coat tighter around her and buttoning it up. If things between her and Jethro weren't so serious, she probably would have accepted the mission without a second thought. The Op might keep her in France for a few months, but a promotion could mean another three years in Europe.

The rational part of her mind was starting to cloud her judgement. She realised that she might have to end things with Jethro even if it just meant he and Kelly would be kept out of this. She doubted she'd be able to say no to a promotion if it meant getting close to the bastard who had killed her father. Wishing Vance well for the holidays she made her way to the door, suddenly reluctant to go home and face Jethro.

"Jenny!" Leon called, drawing the woman's attention back to him, "If you don't accept the Op, I understand these things require sacrifice, and we're not always willing to give something up."

Jenny nodded her head, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to Jethro until I've made my decision."

Leon gave an understanding acknowledgement.

Jenny tapped her fingers against the steering wheel of her car. The warm interior of her Audi was currently her only sanctuary to think, where no one could influence her decision. She wanted to runaway, because she wanted the best of both worlds, but that wasn't how life worked – at least not for her.

This was what she'd been waiting for during the last three years, it was what she had worked so hard for to accomplish, and now that the opportunity presented itself she couldn't decide.

Jenny cursed herself, and she cursed her blue eyed lover for showing her that there was more to life than revenge. Her mind was already made up, but she needed to convince her heart that this was for the better. Leaving Jethro and Kelly was the only option, it would keep them safe and she'd be able to do her job without having to think about them all the time.

Jenny dropped her head against the steering wheel. Who was she kidding? She wouldn't be able to leave them.

* * *

The shopping center was packed with people mulling about, trying to get all their last minute shopping done. It was the perfect example of what controlled chaos looked like in his mind. People were pushing each other around, making the trip that much more unpleasant for him. Jethro tightened his grip on Kelly's hand, making sure he didn't lose her in the chaotic rush of people.

He'd planned on dropping by the hardware store to stock up on supplies, since things were cheaper than they normally were, but the phone call on his way there had deterred him from his plans. There were still a few thing he had to pick up for tonight's circus.

Kelly whined about something and he tried to hush her gently, he didn't need her throwing a tantrum. The little girl was dying to see the large Christmas tree, but he tried steering clear of that area.

"Daddy," Kelly whined again, tugging on his hand forcefully, "you're walking too fast."

Jethro slowed his pace, his mind was somewhere else. His relationship with Jenny had improved ever since she had told him about her mother, and he'd seen her change as she worked through everything. He admired her strength to deal with something like that and act as if nothing had ever changed. There was another insistent tug on his hand and he looked down at Kelly.

"Look Daddy!" Kelly pointed towards something in the distance.

Jethro felt like he could slap himself on the back of the head. He glared at the larger than life Christmas tree. Seeing the excitement on his daughter's face, he caved and steered her towards the local attraction.

"It's pretty big, huh?" Jethro asked Kelly as he picked her up to get a better view of the tree. She just nodded her head, still in awe. Ruffling her curls affectionately he moved them along, eager to get the trip to the mall over and done with.

Jethro frowned, looking around to see if he could recognise the blue and gold sign he was looking for. Heading past the book stores and various other stores he found the little shop he was looking for tucked in a quiet corner.

The shop was silent, blocking out the noisy bustle of all the people. Jethro scanned the expensive contents of all the glass cases. Kelly was right next to him looking at all the pretty things on display. His eyes widened at some of the prices attached to the jewellery on display. The fact that some people actually paid that much was beyond him.

The young clerk who had helped him returned, the pocket watch he'd brought in to have cleaned in his one hand. Jethro took the old watch from him, admiring it now that the grime was cleaned off. He'd found it in a box where he had kept it since the day his grandfather had given it to him.

"It's quiet the collectable, sir." The young clerk said as he placed the box he'd brought along with him on the glass counter.

Jethro turned the watch over in his hand nodding his head, sliding the watch in his inside coat pocket he pulled the box towards him. Taking the lid off, he picked the piece of jewellery up, inspecting it more closely. Satisfied, he placed it back in the box and handed it back to the clerk.

"You have somethin' else to put it in?" He asked gruffly, finding the bland white box not up to standard.

The clerk smiled and nodded, turning to one of the drawers and rummaging through it. He held up a more elegant box, receiving a nod of approval, he placed the jewellery inside it.

"Do you want me to wrap it for you?" The young clerk asked as he handed over the small box.

"Nah, it's okay."

Jethro steered Kelly back through the busy mall, growling and glaring at everyone who bumped into them. He was too caught up with navigating the crowd that Kelly's soft squeal and the feeling of her hand leaving his almost gave him a heart attack.

"Kelly!" He ran after her, making sure she stayed in his line of sight.

It only took a few strides before he was on top of her, grabbing her arm gently. The shocked look on her face told him that she hadn't realised she had left him behind. Steering her towards a quiet corner he knelt in front of her, his cheeks flushed with anger and panic.

"What have I told you about running off?!" Jethro snapped at Kelly, he'd been momentarily terrified. He watched as Kelly's bottom lip jutted out and started quivering, her blue eyes large with shock.

"Daddy… I..." The tears were too much and she couldn't say anything else. Rushing into his arms she buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing quietly.

Jethro had her take a step back once she had calmed down. He wiped away the remaining tears and made her look him in the eye. He'd worked too many child abduction cases to know that it only took a second for her to be gone.

"Don't ever do that again." Jethro scolded before pulling her into a tight hug. Picking her up he held her close, "Why did you run?"

Kelly pointed towards the Santa standing in front of the large toy store. "Do you want to meet him?"

"No, he made me be naughty." Kelly grumbled and buried her face in her father's shoulder again.

Jethro rubbed her back softly, trying to calm the both of them down. It was occasionally hard scolding Kelly when she'd done something wrong, all he had to do was talk a little too loud and she'd burst out in tears, and it always got to him.

The old Ford truck pulled to a stop in the driveway. Kelly had been unpleasant the whole drive and she'd been snippy ever since she had been scolded. Jethro rolled his eyes as she refused to let him help her out of the truck. He grumbled under his breath as she marched to the front door while he trailed behind her.

Kelly waited impatiently for him to open the door so they could go inside. Placing one of the grocery bags on the floor, he pulled the key out of his trouser pocket. He pushed the door open once it was unlocked and followed Kelly inside.

Yoda ran down the stairs, swaddled in his blue jersey. He headed straight for Kelly, he rolled onto his back and waited for her to scratch his belly, but she just looked at him. She moved to run up the stairs but her father caught her just in time.

"Kelly," Jethro warned softly, "just because you got in trouble doesn't mean you can be rude."

The little girl glared at him.

"I think you have to go take a nap." Jethro said as he stood back up.

"No." Kelly grumbled, folding her arms and pressed her chin against her chest.

"Excuse me?" Jethro growled. He watched as Kelly straightened and pouted up at him. She stomped her foot when he pointed up the stairs, clapping his hands she jumped and hurried up to her room.

Jethro looked at Yoda who was still laying on his back. Scampering to his feet, his whole body shook with excitement as he wagged his tail. Jethro scratched the dog under his chin, laughing when he snorted contentedly, all he ever wanted was attention, and he could whine if he didn't get any.

Carrying the bags into the kitchen he placed them on the table where he could remember to take them along when they left for Joann's. He heard Kelly stomping around in her room and he sighed heavily, not in the mood to struggle with her.

Kelly glared at her door, knowing her father would be up to make sure she was in bed for her nap. Yoda was curled up next to her under the thick comforter already snoring. She pushed him softly to get him to stop, but he simply continued. Folding her arms she scowled at the door again. The door opened slowly and she twisted away from her father to look out the window.

Jethro took a seat on the edge of the bed, placing a finger under Kelly's chin he made her look at him. He stroked her cheek softly, giving her a small smile. He was having a tough time this Christmas, Kelly was starting to become her own person and all he could see when he looked at her was Shannon, especially when she was upset with him.

The glare on her small face softened and she stared at him for a while. Jethro cleared his throat and smiled down at her, "You look just like your mommy when you're angry."

Kelly crawled onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug. She sat back and placed her small chubby hand on his cheek, "I'm sorry Daddy." she hugged him again.

"Daddy?" Kelly asked as she looked up at him, her fingers toying with the buttons of his coat.

"Yeah, honey?" Jethro smoothed Kelly's hair down, meeting her blue gaze.

"Do you miss my mommy?"

Jethro frowned at the question, he had told Kelly that Shannon had passed away and that she wasn't around, but the question caught him off guard. Kelly's clear blue eyes looked at him earnestly, he pressed his forehead against hers, "Yes, baby girl, I miss her sometimes."

Kelly pulled away from him,"Do you like Jenny?"

"Yes, I like her very much." Jethro smiled at her, cradling her in his arms as she looked up at him.

Kelly smiled up at him, "I like her too. She makes you smile."

Jethro tightened his grip on Kelly, raising an eyebrow at her, "I didn't smile before we met her?"

Kelly squirmed a little in his grip. Crawling out of his lap and onto her bed, she slipped under the covers and looked at him thoughtfully. "You always looked sad."

Jethro pulled the covers up around her, kissing her forehead. He didn't know what to make of what she told him, he hadn't thought about what she saw between him and Jenny. She was clearly far more observant than he had thought. Running his fingers through her hair, he sat with her until she fell asleep.

Jenny did make him smile, she made him feel things he'd been denying himself for the last few years. He hadn't thought much about the changes she had brought into their lives. Things had constantly changed between them, but everything had felt so natural.

Moving out of Kelly's room quietly, he closed the door halfway before heading for his own room.

Jethro closed the door behind him and toed off his boots. Taking off his coat he fished inside its pocket until his hand hit the small box inside it. Taking out the elegant box and the pocket watch he threw his coat over the chair and moved to his dresser.

Opening the lid of the small box, he ran his finger over its content, he could feel his nerves building. Placing the box underneath his white under shirts he pushed the drawer shut. He placed his pocket watch on the dresser and moved back to the bed.

The bedroom door opened and Jenny appeared. Jethro managed a smile, despite the panic that shot through him when he realised he had just narrowly missed her seeing her Christmas present. He pulled his t-shirt over his head, he'd been right in the middle of changing when she came in.

Jethro narrowed his eyes when she didn't return his smile, it looked like she hadn't even noticed he was in the room with her. Throwing his clothes in a small heap on the floor, to be taken care of later, he walked to where the redhead was standing in the middle of the room.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Jenny finally looked at him – _actually_ looked at him – she gave him a smile that usually drew one from him as well, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. He wondered what exactly had happened in Vance's office, she had looked far better before he'd left despite the fact that she was tired. Running his hands up and down her arms he bent his knees a little to look at her.

"Hey." He kissed the corner of her mouth and he felt the tension in her biceps ebb away, even if it was just fractionally.

"Hi." Jenny kissed Jethro back, plastering a smile on her face.

"Everything go okay?" Jethro asked as he lay down on his side of the bed, leaving her to change out of her work attire.

Jenny felt her stomach clench and then flutter almost uncontrollably. She busied herself with undressing, not wanting to look at him. "Yeah everything was fine. He just wanted to say thanks for helping with the Russia crisis." She was glad she was standing with her back to him, it was impossible to lie to his face when he looked at her with such great intensity.

She had noticed as of late that she couldn't lie to him any more, he had caught on to the imperceptible twitch of her eye. It was the same thing that gave her away as a child when her father questioned her on certain things. When he didn't ask anything else she knew her attempt to distract him with undressing had worked.

Pulling the oversized t-shirt over her head, she crawled on the bed next to Jethro, her muscles aching with stress and worry. She bit her lip as he pulled her against him, his body warm and inviting as usual. Closing her eyes she breathed him in, remembering the way he smelled like sawdust and something clean that simply screamed _Jethro_.

It wasn't the end of the world, she knew that, but it felt like it. She was so torn between running away and asking Jethro to tell her what decision she should make. They weren't teenagers, they could make a long distance relationship work, but she had her doubts. Once she started working undercover again, her focus would change, and her need for revenge outweighed her need to be with someone she cared for.

Jethro was chauvinistic, despite how pure his intentions sometimes were. He would no doubt try and stop her from accepting the mission, he'd be the bastard she knew he could be. She was too independent to have him tell her she couldn't go.

"Jen," Jethro mumbled, his face pressed against her neck, "I can hear you think."

Running her fingers through his hair, she kissed his forehead, fighting the ridiculous urge to cry. Letting the soft strands of dark hair slip through her fingers, she ran her fingers down to the nape of his neck, stoking the short hair she found there.

"I've noticed something recently." She whispered in his ear, feeling his skin breakout in goosebumps under her soft touch. She wanted him to drop the subject of her discussion with the Director.

"Mmm?" He hummed against her neck and she knew he was teetering on the edge of falling asleep.

"Ever since your birthday, I've noticed more grey hair."

Jethro pulled away, a scowl on his face. He ran a hand through his hair self-consciously. Rolling onto his back he glared up at the redhead leaning slightly over him, "I'm not old."

"That's not what I said." Jenny laughed softly, relieved with the banter between them, it could take her mind of things for a moment. Pressing closer to him, she placed her thigh between his, "Grey hair can be really sexy." she breathed in his ear.

Jethro brushed his lips over hers, "Then why are you complainin'?"

"I wasn't complaining." Jenny bit back, pressing her lips against his invitingly.

He kissed her deeply, drawing a soft moan from her. Jenny pulled away and licked her lips, trying to catch her breath, "Jethro, I'm really tired."

Jethro nodded, he could see she was tired. Turning on his side he pulled her into his chest, placing his lips against her ear, "Your excuse was very original." he laughed softly in her ear. He could feel her laugh with him as she elbowed him in the stomach playfully. Allowing her to settle comfortably against him, he tightened his arms around her and closed his eyes. He felt his stomach flutter just before he fell asleep, but he didn't give it much thought.

Jenny listened as Jethro's breathing evened out. It was small moments like these that made her realise why she loved him. The thing that got to her the most was the fact that he still hadn't reciprocated her feelings, at first she'd given him space, she didn't want to make him feel like he had to say it back. But after a while it made her wonder.

Shannon was a big part of Jethro's life, she was the mother of his child. She'd always be a part of Kelly, and Jenny wouldn't want it any other way. Jethro was different, he still hadn't moved on despite his commitment to their relationship. Some days she felt like the only woman in his world, and other days she knew he saw someone else instead of her. On more than one occasion she'd thought that she was simply a replacement.

It made her choice that much more painful and in a way easy. She wasn't going to give up her career for someone who couldn't return her feelings. She'd always love him, he'd shown her what love truly was, but she couldn't be in a relationship where she was never the one he wanted.

They had been asleep two hours, maybe three when she felt someone staring at her. Jenny frowned in her sleep, it wasn't Kelly, she usually snuggled with them for a while before she grew restless. Cracking an eye open she looked down at a pair of brown eyes at the foot of the bed.

Yoda wagged his tail when he saw Jenny look at him.

Lifting her head, Jenny saw the bedroom door was open and the spot behind her was empty. Patting the spot where Jethro usually slept she allowed the dog to take it, Yoda curled up next to her, licking her hand affectionately. Patting his head, she dropped her own back on the pillow.

She'd made an executive decision that after Christmas things would be over between her and Jethro. It was for the better that they go their separate ways, she couldn't expect him to wait for her until she got to where she wanted to be. She'd rather risk her happiness than have him find out about her father.

It was depressing, she thought, waking up with that as the first thing on her mind. Letting out a sigh she decided to enjoy tonight's affair and tomorrow with Jethro and Kelly.

* * *

Tony paced the length of the foyer anxiously, Gibbs had called him telling him they were right around the corner and to tell Joann to calm down. Checking his watch, the phone call had been half an hour ago. He was willing to bet that he was more excited than Abby to be spending Christmas Eve with Kelly. The holiday had always been a depressing and sad affair for him, but this year seemed to be different.

Everyone was in the living room sharing Christmas tales and drinking eggnog, but not him – he was determined to kidnap Kelly first and keep her with him for the rest of the night, since everyone seemed to be picking on him. Even Ziva was on his case about Christmas and she didn't even celebrate the day. He'd invited her out of common courtesy, since no-one else knew how to approach her, and since they were involved.

Ziva had graciously accepted once he had explained that they didn't want her to celebrate, but rather wanted to share the joy of the day with her. Taking another glance at his watch he shook his head and slowed his pacing.

"Anthony," Ducky scolded as he appeared out of no where, "you'll wear a hole in the floor."

"Their later, Duck-man, and I called dibs on Kelly." Tony looked out the window trying to see if the old Ford was rolling down the street yet.

"You have some competition, young Abigail has been looking forward to this day for the past month." Ducky clasped his hands in front of him, watching the young Italian as he stared out of the window.

Tony rolled his eyes when there was no movement in the snowy street. Leaning against the wall he looked at Ducky somewhat contemplatively. "It's not Abby I'm worried about." Tony informed the good doctor, "It's Gibbs."

Ducky nodded his head in understanding. The young man had visited him countless of times ever since Kelly had ended up in the hospital while in his care. Jethro had been harsher than usual with his actions towards Tony. He understood Jethro's fear, he knew about Shannon but he'd never said anything to anyone, he doubted Jethro would have appreciated it if he had told someone.

Jennifer knew, Joann had told him that the redhead had over heard them. It seemed to have been a good thing since they were still together.

"It is his child after all." Ducky replied as neutrally as possible. "But I suspect it would be Jennifer you'd have to fight." It was blindingly obvious that she and the child had an almost inseparable bond.

"Things between them, it's pretty serious, isn't it?" Tony asked as he turned back from looking out on the street again. When Ducky simply shrugged his shoulders Tony rolled his eyes, pushing away from the wall. "Come on, Duck-man, they're practically living together."

"Yes, well they are both adults and I trust they will make the right decisions." Ducky gave a platonic answer.

"Ducky, she's the one isn't she? I mean, I've seen the way they look at each other, you've got to be blind to miss it." Tony gave a slight laugh, but it faded quickly. When all he received was a curious gaze he shrugged his shoulders.

"Anthony, instead of wondering about them. Why don't you focus more on the woman who seems to look at you the way Jethro looks at Jennifer?" Ducky gave the Italian a knowing look and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Tony frowned at the old doctor, not wanting to take what he had said to heart. He and Ziva hadn't really discussed what was going on between them. Taking a seat on one of the steps on the staircase, he looked at the Israeli that just so happened to be in his line of sight.

The front door swung open and slammed against the wall. Tony's head snapped to the door, his hand instinctively going to his hip where he carried his side arm. He dropped his hand casually as Kelly shot towards him, her blue eyes bright and inquisitive. She leaned against his knee, looking up at him with large eyes, he could just make out Gibbs and Jenny come through the door and the others moving into the foyer.

"Tony, are you in time out?" Tony smiled at the question when everyone else laughed, shaking his head he swooped her up in his arms and settled her on his hip. "You can sit with me if their mean to you." Kelly whispered in his ear as they moved into the living room.

Tony chose the closest spot to the Christmas tree, which was right next to the tree on the carpet. Kelly was in his lap, looking at everyone excitedly as they filed into the room one at a time. She waved at Noemi excitedly as she took a seat next to Ducky and Joann.

Abby flopped down next to Tony, her Santa hat still on her head over her pigtails. She held her arms out to Kelly but the little girl shied away from her, clinging to Tony as he pulled her against his chest. He glared at the Goth good-naturedly when she pouted at him. All he received was a blinding smile from her before she turned her attention to Tim.

"Timmy, sit next to me." Abby commanded.

"I don't want to sit in front of the fireplace." Tim whined as Abby pulled him down to the floor, he landed next to her with a soft, "oomph!"

"Too bad, Timmy, because you're handing me the presents."

Jethro rolled his eyes, taking a seat next to Jenny, he placed a hand on her thigh and squeezed softly. He felt her move closer to him and grip his hand tightly.

Abby shifted to her knees, crawling around on the carpet and sorting through the brightly wrapped parcels. Tim had refused to being her elf and had swapped places with her, placing him right next to Tony – who had taken it upon himself to annoy the young geek.

Abby found the red and black striped package that had Kelly's name scrawled on it. It was her present to the little girl and she as more than excited to have her open it. Moving back to the small group that had gathered on the floor she handed the parcel to Tony to give to Kelly.

"This is from Abby, what do you say we rip this open?' Tony felt Kelly nod and he helped her rip through the wrapping paper, just as curious as the toddler to see what was inside.

In true Abby fashion it was something fun and educational at the same time. The _My first science-kit_ would probably have to wait until Kelly was older but Abby had waisted no time in sharing her love of science with the little girl.

"Cool." Tim said as Kelly showed him the present.

Abby sorted through the gifts again, grabbing one wrapped in navy blue, tilting it to read the name beautifully scrawled on the paper she handed it over to Ducky.

The old doctor took the gift graciously. He assumed by the two 'J' and 'K' initials that the gift came from the couple seated across from him. He opened the gift and shot them a smile as he produced a bow-tie that fit perfectly with his traditional Scottish kilt, especially the colour.

Abby passed around more gifts, not wanting anyone to feel left out. They had all consulted with Jenny to know what exactly Noemi liked so they could make her feel at home in their little family. She waited until everyone had opened their gifts before passing around the last few. Pulling the sparkling purple package towards her she read the name carefully.

Smiling she handed the package over to Kelly who had already received toys from almost everyone. The toddler held the package out to Tony so he could help her unwrap it. The Italian let out a sigh of relief when he noticed the wrapping was more plastic than paper, he'd suffered enough paper cuts for one day.

Tony pointed to the additional names written in one of the corners. He raised his eyebrows when Kelly glared at him. "What?"

"I can't read." She informed him matter of factly and the hearty laugh coming from his boss made him flush with embarrassment.

Kelly grinned at him cutely and patted his head patronizingly, "You can read." she whispered in his ear as she hugged him.

"It's from Jenny and your dad." He grumbled when everyone was still snickering. He didn't pay them much attention as he helped Kelly unwrap the gift. They threw the paper away and inspected the books. "Dr. Seuss, nice." Tony said as he looked through the collection of books.

Kelly squealed and clambered over Tony to get to Jenny and her father. She wrapped an arm around each of their necks and hugged them tightly.

Jenny turned to look at Jethro, they had thought long and hard about which present to send along, and the books seemed to have done the trick. Reaching for his free hand she held it in hers, his fingers laced with hers and she momentarily squeezed her eyes shut.

Kelly slid back down to the floor and took her spot on Tony's lap again.

Abby quickly fastened the sparkling new dog collar around her neck – a present from Tony – while she waited for Kelly to settle down once again. Pulling the nearest package to her she read the name and handed it over to Ziva.

The Israeli took the package carefully, looking straight at Tony when she read his name. She'd been with him when he'd bought his team's gifts, and she wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Tearing the paper away she held up the book for everyone to see.

" _American Idioms"_ Ziva looked at Tony in confusion, "Thank you, Tony."

Tony frowned at her, "You're not upset?" he asked indignantly.

"No, I think its very kind of you to help me with the English language." Ziva returned placing her new book next to her with much care.

"Tony, I think your gag gift might have failed." Tim smiled at his down trodden team mate.

"Shut it, Probie." Tony snapped, he hoped his attempt to embarrass the others would work in his favour.

Tim watched nervously as Abby looked through the last few presents, he'd seen his name on one of them and had immediately panicked when he recognized the handwriting as Tony's. He saw Abby go back to the flat rectangular package that had his name on it. His eyes grew larger as Abby spun around and thrust the gift into his hands.

"Open it." Abby demanded gently like only she could.

The computer nerd glanced at Tony and felt his heart drop to the soles of his shoes. Peeling the paper away, he felt his cheeks flush. He turned a glare on Tony when he heard him laugh at the gift.

Abby moved closer and read the title of the video tape out loud, " _How to become a man."_ clamping a hand over her mouth she laughed. The laughter died down and Abby sifted through the last two gifts, leaving the sparkling green one for last, she handed Kate her gift.

Kate took the gift suspiciously, she'd received gifts from everyone except Tony and knowing her team mate she was fearful of what he'd gotten her. Peeling the haphazardly stuck Scotch tape away she pulled the red gift paper away to reveal – surprisingly – a book.

Jenny bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. She'd caught a glimpse of the title on the book and she actually wanted to congratulate DiNozzo on the best gag gifts she'd seen in a while, since they all knew how sometimes prudish Kate could be. Jethro grumbled next to her and she leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"He got her a book on how to be _sensual_." Jenny whispered, watching as the colour of Jethro's cheeks changed to a cute shade of pink as he blushed. She smiled when he looked at her and laughed softly.

Kate glared at Tony, feeling like she could throw the book at his head. She quickly covered it before Kelly could start asking questions. She simply smiled shyly at everyone but didn't miss Gibbs and Jenny's failed attempt at hiding their laughter.

"Last gift and it's from Tim and Tony." Abby announced as she handed the parcel to Kelly.

Kelly jumped up and took it from her, not wasting time in asking Tony to help her she ripped the paper open and her eyes grew in wonderment. Staring back at her was her own _Wookiee_ action figure. Kelly crashed into Tim, hugging him, "Thank you, Bee."

Giving Tony a hug as well she hopped to her father, eager to show off her toy and to ask him to take it out of its box. "Daddy look, I got Chewie." Jethro gave Tim and Tony a slight nod, they'd all conspired together in this particular gift, since a neatly wrapped _Han Solo_ was waiting at home under the Christmas tree.

"Can we eat?" Tony asked when he felt his stomach growl.

They had all foregone keeping the affair formal. They were all in the living room, Tim was tinkering with the VCR trying to get it to start. Tony was pestering him from his spot on the floor, his cheeks stuffed with food. Kelly was seated at the coffee table in front of her father and Jenny, eating quietly. They all settled when the image started flickering on the screen.

The lights were off since everyone had finished dinner, Kelly was snuggled up with Jenny watching _The Santa Clause_. Jethro grit his teeth wondering how much longer this thing was. He might have endured the film if they were at home, but his team's occasional whispers were driving him insane for some reason.

Jethro caught Ducky's attention when he looked around the dark room. Nodding towards the kitchen the two men excused themselves under the guise that they were getting something to drink. Jethro rolled his eyes when Joann told him to handle her crockery with care.

Jethro looked for the switch that turned on the lights in the kitchen. Finding the plastic switch, he flicked it on and squinted when the lights came on. Switching on the kettle he took a seat at the island, motioning for Ducky to take a seat as well.

Ducky pulled one of the chairs out, hanging his jacket on the back of the chair he took a seat, his hands clasped on the marble counter. Looking at his friend he gave him a knowing smile, "I take it the film isn't really your cup of tea."

"It's not exactly Bruce Willis, Duck." Jethro said with a laugh.

Ducky raised his eyebrows, "I'm surprised that you actually know who that is, Jethro."

Jethro shrugged his shoulders chuckling softly, "Jenny likes him, she made me watch _Die_ something or other."

Jethro's smile faltered, he looked out of the window, watching the snow fall softly. "Did I smile when we first met?"

Ducky straightened in his chair. Taking off his glasses he cleaned them with his handkerchief before placing them back on his nose. He gave Jethro a strange look, wondering if the man had bumped his head without him knowing.

"What brought this on?"

Jethro pursed his lips, not wanting to answer. Sliding off his chair, he sauntered to the fridge, taking out the last remaining slice of apple pie he offered it to Ducky, but the good doctor declined. Shrugging his shoulders, Jethro took a clean fork and took his seat again. Taking a bite, he looked at the slice of pie thoughtfully.

"Kelly said I looked sad before meeting Jen." Jethro said gruffly, he wasn't comfortable about talking about this, but he wanted to hear someone else's opinion. Ducky had been there when Shannon had died, the old doctor had been there to listen when Mike had been fed up with listening.

"Children are very observant, it's how they learn. It doesn't surprise me that she noticed you were happier around dear Jennifer."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jethro said through a mouthful of apple pie.

Ducky left Jethro to think for a while. Taking one of the tea pots he filled it with water to start preparing a nice warm brew. He sensed there was more to the enquiry than his friend let on. Placing the pot on the stove, he poured the warm kettle water in it.

He'd seen Jethro go though two rather bad breakups as Tony would put it. Both times he had seemed far more distant than usual, he knew the type of pain the young man must have gone through. Life hadn't exactly been easy on him, but he had managed. The change was obvious, Jethro really did smile more than he usually did now that Jenny was around.

Ducky doubted he even knew that he did it, but it was a welcome change. Anthony was right in his assumption, Jennifer really was the one, and Ducky assumed that she might actually be the only one who could make Jethro Gibbs happy again.

"This is about more than just Kelly's remark." Ducky stated after a while as he poured them each a cup of tea. He knew Jethro occasionally drank his choice of beverage, and he really didn't want to start the coffee machine just to make Jethro a cup of coffee. Placing the cup in front of Jethro, Ducky took his seat again.

Jethro dropped his fork in the empty plate and pushed it away from him. He lifted the cup in thanks and took a sip of the tea. "That's good tea, Duck."

"Back to our discussion." Ducky urged, intrigued with Jethro's sudden need to talk to him about something personal. Placing his cup back down he met his friend's piercing gaze, "Has young Kelly's observation made you realise something?"

Jethro turned back from watching the snow fall, he didn't answer but simply stared into his cup. He nodded his head, "Think I already knew." he said gruffly, not meeting Ducky's eyes.

The Scotsman raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the admission. He couldn't help but smile at his friend, "Might I ask if you are planning to make things a little more serious?"

Jethro avoided looking at him, when he shrugged his shoulders yet again he heard Ducky let out an irritated sigh. He wasn't going to spill his guts any more than he already had, it was enough that Ducky had caught on to what he was planning.

"Is it safe to assume you want to ask her something?" Ducky prodded further, when he didn't receive an answer he allowed himself to smile. Placing a reassuring hand on Jethro's forearm he winked at him, "I believe you do not have to worry about her answer."

Jethro narrowed his eyes at the good doctor, unimpressed that he had caught on to his nerves as well.

Ducky finished his tea and placed his cup in the sink. Pulling his jacket back on he pushed his chair in and stopped next to Jethro, resting a hand on the young man's shoulder, "Before you go though with this, I suggest you ask yourself whether you have moved on. I'd hate to see the two of you get hurt."

Jethro frowned as he watched Ducky head back to the living room, not exactly sure if that was what he had wanted to hear. He didn't have a chance to think about everything because Jenny sauntered into the kitchen, Kelly's sippy cup in hand. He gave her a smile as she placed it on the counter next to him.

"The movie almost done?" Jethro unscrewed the lid and held it while Jenny poured juice in it.

"I have no idea, but Kelly seems to be enjoying it." Jenny laughed as she placed the juice back in the fridge.

Jethro smiled, screwing the lid back on he held the cup out of Jenny's reach. He could see the annoyance flash in her green eyes, clearly not in the mood. He'd noticed that she was distracted, at first he'd thought it was because she was tired, but since they woke up it felt like she was being distant. Lacing his fingers around her wrist, he pulled her to stand closer to him.

Resting a hand on her hip he looked up at her, for once shorter than her. She pressed her nose into his cheek affectionately, he smiled when she placed small kisses along his jaw. Turning his head he caught her lips with his and kissed her.

Jenny pulled away, resting her forehead against Jethro's. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to look at him. Her feelings were all over the place, from hating him for not telling her he loved her – to adoring him for the small things he did when no-one was looking. Resting her cheek against his she felt his stubble scratch her skin, his hands were keeping her close and she tried to burn how she felt right at this moment into the back of her mind.

"Jen?" Jethro rasped in her ear, his voice was low and husky drawing an involuntary shiver from her.

"Yeah," She replied, slipping her fingers into his hair.

"We're okay, right?"

Jenny froze imperceptibly, she pressed her lips together – her eyes still shut. Sliding a hand down to between his shoulder blades she hugged him against her. She swallowed countless times, just to make sure her voice didn't quiver when she answered. Dropping a kiss just below his ear she buried her nose in his hair as she spoke.

"We couldn't be better." Tears stung the back of her eyes as she blatantly lied to him.

There was a noise in the living room and they both pulled apart.

Tony yelped in pain as Ziva slammed her fist into his arm, he rubbed the spot tenderly as the lights were turned back on. They glared at each other. Tony stuck his tongue out at her and she snapped her teeth at him, resulting in him squirming away from her.

"What's going on?" Jethro grumbled as he eyed the guilty looking pair on the floor.

Kelly was fast asleep on the couch, the excitement of the day finally taking its toll. Not far from her Tim was asleep as well, his head resting on the couch with his mouth slightly agape. Jethro turned back to Tony and noticed the permanent marker in his hand. He shook his head at the young man and moved to pick Kelly up.

Jethro placed a well aimed smack on the back of Tony's head as he passed his senior field agent.

Jenny gathered all of Kelly's new toys and placed them in the bag Kate handed to her. Taking the toddlers discarded shoes, she pulled them back on her feet before they ventured out into the cold.

"Tony," Jenny spoke once she closed the tiny zip on Kelly's woolly boots, "I hope you realise that you'll be going home with Ziva, so I'd advise against pissing her off."

Tony gulped as he saw Ziva's eyes flash dangerously.

Joann and Ducky accompanied them out to the car, since the truck had refused to start. Noemi had left half way through the film, apparently she had a rather late date with her long-time lover.

Jethro stood next to Jenny, listening as she and Joann babbled about something he didn't really care about. He met Ducky's eyes and narrowed his own when he gave him a knowing look. He sighed and saw the two women roll their eyes at him.

"Goodnight, Jethro." Joann moved closer to hug him.

He gave her a tight hug, knowing how hard Christmas was for her. "Merry Christmas." He kissed her cheek and took a step back, pointing towards the house he glared at his team looking through the window, "You kick 'em out if they bother you."

The older woman laughed and shooed them away, "Go, you still have presents to wrap and I doubt Kelly will be sleeping in tomorrow morning."

Jethro jiggled the key in the lock, letting a few swear words slip that proved he was a Marine to the bone. He could see Jenny blush as he swore and realised he had to take a moment to calm himself, it was a little know fact that she didn't shy away from letting a few crude words slip, but he might have pushed it a little too far. Thankfully Kelly was still asleep in the car.

Jamming the key in the lock again, he tried a fourth time getting the door open. It was the same thing he'd been doing for the last twenty minutes, he should have oiled the thing the first time he noticed it wouldn't turn.

"Can't we just go though the back door?" Jenny asked as she took a break from blowing her warm breath on her hands. She desperately longed to be either inside the house or in the car while Jethro manhandled the lock.

"I don't have the key, it's in the truck, and the key to the truck is in the house. I'm also not going to break the window, cause the bloody door is supposed to open." Jethro growled and slammed his shoulder against the door, to no avail because the lock still didn't budge.

Jenny touched Jethro's hand, forcing him to let go of the key before he broke it or hurt himself, "Go get Kelly, I'll try and open it."

Jethro gave her a suspicious look but he stepped aside and let her takeover. Jenny waited until Jethro was halfway to the car before trying her luck. Using most of her strength, she lifted the door and the key turned without a hitch. She heard the car's central locking beeping and she opened the door for Jethro to step inside. Jenny closed the door behind them, she laughed at the glare Jethro gave her.

"What?" She asked nonchalantly.

"How did you get it to open?"

"I guess all it needed was a woman's touch." Locking the door effortlessly, she handed the bag full of toys to Jethro, "I'll tuck her in, make us some coffee?"

"She needs clean pj's." Jethro handed Kelly over to Jenny, they both smiled when the toddler mumbled something about Yoda chasing her.

Jenny kicked a few stray toys out of her way as she climbed up the stairs, hearing them clatter down the wooden steps onto the floor. She cringed slightly as she heard Yoda bark from somewhere in the house, unaware that they were back. Kelly mumbled and frowned as the dog barked again, this time a little closer. Jenny glared at Yoda as he prowled out of Kelly's room.

Jenny groaned softly as she made her way down the hall, Kelly was getting heavier with each step. Stepping into the toddler's room, she deposited her on the bed, thankful for the night light that was burning. Finding a clean pair of pyjamas, Jenny closed all the open drawers and moved back to the bed.

Letting Kelly sit up, she tried pulling off the various layers of clothing Jethro had dressed her in. Jenny shook her head as she took off a second long sleeved shirt, it was a small wonder Kelly hadn't complained about being hot. Pulling the favourite blue pyjama top over the little girls head, Jenny let her lay back down.

"Jenny," Kelly mumbled, screwing her eyes shut to keep the suddenly too bright light out, "when is Santa coming?"

"Oh, I don't know." Jenny pulled the small pair of boots off of Kelly's feet, "He's got a lot of houses to visit tonight, but he'll be here."

"How do you know?" Kelly asked tiredly as she helped Jenny pull the pyjama bottoms on.

Jenny smiled down at Kelly who looked at her through squinted eyes. Pulling the covers up around her and making sure that the beloved bear and turtle were tucked in with her, Jenny smoothed Kelly's curly hair out of her face. Leaning down she kissed her forehead softly.

"I just know." Jenny answered, looking into a pair of crystal blue eyes.

Kelly shrugged, satisfied with the answer, turning on her side she snuggled with her two stuffed toys. "Remember the cookies and milk, please." Kelly sighed contentedly.

Jenny sat with her for a while, listening to her breathing. Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, she bit it hard as a stray tear rolled down her cheek. A sense of reality was starting to set in and she wanted to treasure each moment. Knowing that she'd soon be gone made her notice all the small things, from the way Kelly pulled her mouth when she spoke to the innocence in her eyes when she asked a question.

Running a finger over her cheek softly she moved to get up, but Kelly's small hand on hers made her stop.

"Jenny?" Kelly murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

"What's wrong, honey?" Jenny tucked a stray curl behind Kelly's ear. She took a seat again and waited for Kelly to speak.

Kelly opened one blue eye, giving the redhead a small tired smile, "I love you, Jenny."

Jenny quickly wiped at her eyes, forcing the tears to stay put but a few still escaped. Leaning down she pressed a long kiss to Kelly's forehead, sniffing she whispered, "I love you too, baby girl."

After splashing some cold water in her face, Jenny made her way down stairs. There was a nice warm fire in the hearth and Jethro had already retrieved the presents from his secret hiding spot in the basement. A neat stack of unwrapped presents were still waiting for them. All of them for Kelly.

An impressive pile had been delivered by James, sent from the Bernardi family who couldn't be there. The rest were from Joann, Noemi, Jack and then most importantly, from her and Jethro.

Jethro had moaned about the amount of presents through out the month, grumbling about raising a spoiled child. Jenny smiled, she knew he secretly enjoyed the holiday season, she'd caught him a few times telling Kelly all about the magic of Christmas.

They had agreed that they wouldn't be getting each other presents. Jenny had been trying to find something that would compensate for the emerald necklace – since she had found the receipt when she had been looking for a missing slip of paper. The revelation had caused a fight which resulted in some hurt feelings for the both of them, but the arrangement was mutual, no presents.

Jethro looked up from stuffing yet another cookie in his mouth, a glass half full of milk in his hand. Taking a drink he smiled guiltily at Jenny.

"Seems like Santa didn't waste any time in getting started with the cookies." Jenny commented as she placed two mugs near the percolator.

Jethro polished the last of his milk and placed it on the table with a thud, smacking his lips he rested his hands on his hips, "Ho, ho, ho." he said deadpan.

Jenny laughed and filled the mugs with coffee and handed one to Jethro. Waltzing back to the living room she heard Jethro shuffle in behind her, "I'm surprised you still have room."

Jethro shrugged his shoulders, taking his spot near the unwrapped presents he pulled the never ending pile of wrapping paper towards him. He was sick of brightly coloured: foil, paper, tinsel, garland, baubles, lights and his all time favourite – glitter. He cringed slightly at the thought of glitter, they'd received enough Christmas cards over the last month with glitter on it to give him nightmares.

Taking a drink from his mug he placed it next to him and took one of the presents. Glaring at yet another _Barbie_ doll he looked for the appropriate paper. He couldn't understand why his team felt the need to shower Kelly with gifts and not wrap it themselves.

"I have an idea." He spoke while measuring out the correct amount of paper. When all he received was a hum he looked up to see Jenny trying to find the beginning of the sticky tape. "Why don't we just hide the rest of the toys, that way we won't have to buy any next year. We can just wrap these."

"You might be on to something." Jenny laughed as she finally found the edge of the tape. She watched Jethro fold the paper expertly and started handing him pieces of tape.

Jethro placed the last gift under the tree triumphantly, his knee and back aching as he finally allowed himself to relax. Smiling over at Jenny he noticed her blink tiredly. Looking over at the clock on the mantelpiece his eyebrows shot up to his hairline. He groaned as he realised they'd only be getting a few hours of sleep before Kelly would be up and about.

Falling onto the couch, Jethro stretched out his legs in front of him and wriggled his sock clad toes. He felt Jenny rest her head on his shoulder and he rested his head on top of hers. She'd been distracted since she came downstairs, he had to repeat himself a number of times before she would respond or even hear.

It was bothering him more than it probably should, he kept thinking she'd found the small box he'd stashed in his drawer. "Something bothering you?." He kissed her temple and stared into the fire with her.

"For someone as introverted as you, you sure do ask a lot of questions." Jenny said tiredly, hoping to get him off topic. Something was bothering her, but now wasn't the time to tell him that.

"I meant you look tired." Jethro blurted out, not sure whether he had read her body language wrong. Women were just too damn complicated.

Jenny pulled away, giving him an unimpressed look. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it instead, he raised his shoulders questioningly. The stupidest thing could set off a fight between them. He didn't know whether it was just a need to press the other's buttons or if it was a way to deal with the intensity of their attraction towards each other. Either way, it always ended with them tangled together in the sheets.

"Thanks, that's exactly what a woman wants to hear." Jenny snapped and even she could hear that her voice was lacking its usual sarcasm. Anything that could disrupt the peace between them could work right now, it would make walking away a little easier.

"It's not what I meant, Jen." Jethro growled at her.

"No? Then what did you mean?" Jenny bit back, her cheeks flushed.

A small squeak left her as Jethro pulled her down on the couch, pinning her beneath him. He crashed his lips against hers, the possessiveness in his kiss unmistakeable.

The small clock on the mantelpiece chimed as it struck twelve.

Jenny pulled away with a gasp, trying to catch her breath. It was hard to miss the fact that Jethro had been turned on by whatever had just happened between them. Biting her lip she looked up at him through her lashes, enjoying the way his eyes turned into a tempestuous blue.

"Jethro," She said throatily.

"Jenny," He returned, his lips brushing against hers.

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

The sun was just peaking over the horizon, casting the snowy city in a beautiful orange hue. The house was quiet, almost too quiet for Christmas morning. Jenny stretched lazily, pressing her rapidly cooling toes against Jethro's sock covered feet. He had a strangely annoying habit of hogging the covers sometimes. She smiled when he moaned in his sleep, no doubt feeling her cold toes through his socks. Snuggling further into his chest, she sighed and tried to fall back asleep.

The soft patter of feet down the hall alerted her that they were about to get a wake-up call. Jethro tightened his grip on her and buried his face in her neck, groaning softly. They waited for the toddler to crash into the room. The door creaked open and they both tensed, bracing for impact.

Kelly tip toed to Jenny's side of the bed, her comforter pulled around her tightly. She inched a little closer, leaning against the bed, "Jenny." she whispered loudly. She held her breath as the redhead's eyes snapped open. "Can I sleep with you, it's cold."

Jenny smiled at Kelly, nodding her head, nudging Jethro to move back she lifted the covers. Kelly dropped her comforter and jumped on the bed, snuggling into her. Pulling her closer, Jenny rested her chin on Kelly's head and smiled softly. She felt Jethro relax as he draped an arm over them, lacing his fingers with hers.

She was determined not to let her thoughts get to her today. Letting out a soft sigh, she tried to enjoy a rare opportunity to sleep in.

Barely a few minutes passed before Kelly started squirming. She turned first on her stomach and then on her back, each time letting out a small breath of air. She stared up at the ceiling, squinting her eyes she tried to see the imaginary patters on the ceiling. Letting out another huff she flipped on her side.

"Kelly." Jethro growled as he felt the mattress jostle once again. He'd known from the moment he heard the door open that they wouldn't be sleeping in. It was well past the usual time Kelly sauntered into his room, although he was glad she hadn't stormed in jumping and shouting.

He heard her gasp softly and he groaned into Jenny's neck – his daughter remembered.

"It's Christmas!" Kelly shrieked, throwing the covers back and standing to her feet. "Get up! Get up!" She bounced around on the bed, giggling madly as her father kept groaning.

"Kelly, no jumping." Jethro warned as he noticed Kelly move closer to the edge of the bed. She halted and flopped down, and he cringed as he heard the springs squeak in protest.

Jethro propped himself up on his elbow, smiling as Kelly looked at him with excited blue eyes. It was the first Christmas she was this excited and he thanked whoever looked over them that she wasn't sick as usual during the winter time. Although he assumed it was all the vitamins Jenny fed her in the morning.

Jenny mewled softly as she stretched, looking at Jethro with a raised brow. They had a small pool going on Kelly's reaction – and it turned out that her prediction had been right. It was far more realistic than Jethro's hopes of sleeping until at least eight, since it was in fact six in the morning.

Kelly slid off the bed heading for the door, "Yoda! Santa was here last night!"

Jethro shook his head and fell back on the mattress, rolling his head to the side he smiled at Jenny. Moving closer he pressed a sweet kiss to her lips, "Good morning."

"Morning." After returning his kiss her smiled turned a little more smug, "What's for breakfast?"

Jethro glared at her. Loser had to make breakfast, and he had been looking forward to lounging around in the living room terrorising the dog and helping Kelly assemble some of her toys. "How about, I do half and you do the other half?"

"No, you lost, you make breakfast." Jenny touched his cheek patronizingly and slid out of bed, pulling on Jethro's _Carhartt_ jacket. She looked at him expectantly as he simply looked at her, not even making an attempt to get out of bed. Her look turned into a scowl and he glared back, making his displeasure known as he got up and pulled his hoodie over his head.

Kelly was right in front of the Christmas tree, looking at the lights as they flickered in a different sequence from time to time. Yoda was in her arms, trying to keep him from knocking over the presents. The dog yapped excitedly as he heard more footsteps on the stairs. Letting out a pitiful whine he wriggled until his mistress let go of him.

Kelly shot straight for her father and squealed as he picked her up and threw her up in the air. Rubbing her nose with his affectionately she kissed his cheek, "Merry Christmas, Daddy."

"Merry Christmas." Jethro kissed her temple. He passed Kelly to Jenny, placing a hand on her hip and holding the both of them close.

"Merry Christmas, Jenny." Kelly gave her a bright smile and wrapped her arms around the redhead's neck, hugging her as she returned the wish.

Jenny rested her head against Jethro's arm draped behind her, watching as Kelly ripped open one present after the other. Yoda was seated with Jethro, snoring as he slept, Jenny smiled to herself. The tough as nails ex-marine had quite the soft spot for the little Terrier, after the dog's almost extreme teething phase the two of them had been inseparable. Yoda's bat-like ears twitched at the sound of crunching paper but he continued to sleep.

Kelly ripped open yet another present, cooing over yet another _Barbie_ doll. She didn't seem too interested in it and moved to the next one. She reached for the shiny blue one, missing her father sitting forward in anticipation. She held the present up for Jenny to read who it was from.

"That one is from Daddy." Jenny could feel Jethro shift with what she could only describe as excitement. He'd been more excited about getting Kelly the _Star Wars_ action figure than the new bicycle that was from ' _Santa'_.

Kelly pried a few strips of Scotch tape loose and gripped a loose piece of wrapping paper. Pulling the paper off, she stared at the _Han Solo_ action figure with large eyes.

Jethro felt Kelly crash into him before he could even blink. He held her tight, squeezing his eyes shut. He endured Christmas for moments like these. He patted her back softly, placing a paternal kiss to her head.

"Thank you, Daddy." Kelly grinned up at him.

"Thank Jenny too, she helped." Jethro whispered quietly in her ear, nudging her towards Jenny.

Kelly hoisted herself onto the couch and hugged Jenny tightly, "Thank you." she said almost shyly. The redhead smiled at her and pointed to the rest of her presents.

All the presents were opened and the living room was a total mess, Kelly was buried under a heap of new toys and Yoda was next to her, occasionally growling at the blinking Christmas tree. Jethro scowled at all the gift paper, all his effort gone in less than half an hour. Throwing the discarded paper in the garbage bag, he could hear Jenny move around in the kitchen.

Jethro glared at the piece of tape that was stuck to the carpet, he could see a lot of them stuck to the carpet, but he didn't feel like peeling them off. Jenny appeared next to him, taking the bag from him, she motioned her head towards the kitchen and his glare darkened.

"You can either make breakfast, or help Kelly sort through the toys she wants to give away" When the blood drained from his face Jenny knew he'd be heading to the kitchen.

Jenny pulled her hair into a messy bun and joined Kelly on the floor. Pulling the box they had set aside for the toys closer, they started sorting through the toys. The box was going to be donated to the preschool, where they'd be of much better use. Jenny noticed that Kelly only got rid of certain toys. Most of the _Barbie_ dolls had been thrown in the box, but the toys that stayed were mainly the ones her father had bought for her.

Jenny smiled a little sadly, her conscience kept bothering her – reminding her that she was going to leave them – and probably hurting all of them. Clearing her throat she smiled at Kelly when she turned to her and told her something.

She hadn't been able to sleep at all last night, she kept trying to find a way to get what she wanted without having to give anything up. She had come to a harsh realisation that she had given up on her own desires when she had made up her mind to pursue _La Grenouille._

Jethro tried listening to what Kelly was telling Jenny, but the sizzling bacon was making it hard to hear what she was actually saying. Looking down he stared into Yoda's bulgy brown eyes, staring at him almost hypnotically. The dog whined looking at the plate stacked with pancakes, he jumped up standing on his hind leg and barked. When Jethro ignored him he growled playfully and jumped against his leg. He pawed Jethro's leg and whined.

"No." Jethro pushed the dog away gently. He flipped a pancake over, smiling when it didn't fall on the floor. He scooped the last of the batter into the pan and took the now fried bacon off the stove. Yoda whined again, he barked when Jethro glared at him. Jethro rolled his eyes when Yoda pawed him again, this was Jenny's fault - and technically also his.

"One piece, no more." Jethro frowned when the dog simply cocked his head to the side and barked. Breaking off a piece of greasy bacon Jethro gave it to Yoda and patted his head with the back of his hand.

Kelly skipped into the kitchen her _Star Wars_ sippy cup in hand, she scratched Yoda behind his ears and moved to the breakfast table. Climbing onto her chair with a struggle she slammed her sippy cup down and pulled one of the colouring books closer to keep her busy. "Daddy?"

"Hmm?" Jethro hummed as he moved around the kitchen.

"How come you and Jenny don't get gifts?" Kelly looked through her plastic container full of pencils and crayons, trying to find the right shade of red.

Jethro poked the right button on the percolator and opened one of the cupboards and took out three plates. "Adults don't always get presents." Taking two cup he placed them near the percolator. Pulling out a chair he sat next to Kelly handing her a blue crayon for the teddy's jacket she was colouring.

"Does it make you sad?" She asked a little worried.

Jethro shook his head and smiled, "No, Kel. We agreed that we wouldn't give each other anything."

Kelly stuck her tongue out slightly as she coloured her teddy, tilting her head each time she turned her hand to colour. She frowned as she placed the crayon back and looked for another one, "Then why were we at the store with all the pretty things?"

Jethro froze, his eyes widening imperceptibly. His head snapped up looking over Kelly's head into the living room, when he didn't see the redhead he dropped his voice a little, "I picked up my watch." he didn't want Kelly to accidentally ruin the surprise.

"Nuh-uh, what was in the box?" Kelly looked at her father suspiciously.

"Nothin', was just so I could put the watch in it to keep it safe." Jethro lied easily – hoping Kelly wouldn't bring it up in front of Jenny. He could see the doubt in his daughter's eyes but she didn't seem to realise he was lying. He let out a relieved breath when Kelly dropped the subject and focused instead on her picture.

Jethro glared at Yoda when he whined again, shooing the dog away he stood and continued with getting breakfast ready. He was nervous about what Jenny's reaction would be, it could only go two ways and he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle this blowing up in his face. Kelly was singing a Christmas song a little off tune and he chose to focus on that instead.

Breakfast had been uneventful, Kelly had dropped the whole present discussion the moment Jenny had joined them in the kitchen, preferring to colour with the redhead instead of asking questions. There had been moments during breakfast where Jenny had seemed almost – in a strange way – sad. He wrote it off as a lack of sleep and tried to enjoy his breakfast.

The clatter behind him made him look over his shoulder. One of Yoda's tennis balls had bounced into his toolbox sending the wrenches flying. Jethro held the small pink bicycle he was assembling with one hand, taking the tennis ball he through it across the floor into the kitchen where Kelly was waiting for Yoda to bring the ball back.

Looking through the disarray of wrenches, Jethro found the right one and tightened the handlebars on the small bicycle. Kelly had been adamant that they assemble it despite the fact that everything outside was covered in snow. Making sure the handle bars were tight enough he threw the wrench back amongst the other wrenches. The tennis ball came flying towards him again, hitting the now closed toolbox.

Yoda raced into the living room, looking for his bouncing green ball. He found it underneath the Christmas tree and barked at it, he whined and barked a little more threateningly. "Yoda!" Jethro raised his voice at the yapping dog, growing a little irritated with the dog's barking. The dog whined and looked from him to the ball underneath the tree.

"Kelly, throw the ball somewhere else." Jethro handed the ball to Kelly who had joined them.

Kelly tossed the ball into the foyer half-heartedly, not in the mood to play any more. She walked to where her toys were scattered in front of the TV, and flopped down amongst them, watching the Christmas movie currently playing. Yoda trotted back into the living room, dropping the ball he chose to curl up in his basket, letting out a snort of contentment.

Placing both the toolbox and bicycle out of the way, Jethro moseyed over to the couch. He was sprawled out on his back, his legs dangling over the armrest and his head resting in Jenny's lap. She was reading one of her sappy romance novels again and not paying much attention to anything else. He sighed and closed his eyes.

He only had a few minutes to relax since it was close to noon and James would be arriving soon. Jenny's eldest brother had spent a lot of time with them over the last month. Jethro usually disappeared into the basement when he was around, preferring to give the two of them sometime alone. He did like him though, the kid was smart and he seemed genuinely interested whenever he was down in the basement with him.

"Jethro," Jenny murmured softly, the slightest hint of irritation in her voice. He was being restless and each time he shifted he bumped her arm, making her lose her place on the page.

He simply growled and turned on his side, watching the movie instead. It wasn't his fault she couldn't concentrate. Biting the inside of her cheek she closed her book and placed it on the arm rest. Placing a hand on Jethro's ribs, she ran her hand down his side and slipped her hand under his shirt. Her fingers stroked over the marred skin than ran the entire width of his hip.

Jethro placed a hand on top of hers, stopping her from moving her hand, "Tickles." he said softly. Sliding her hand lower, she placed it on his lower abdomen, enjoying the way his abdominal muscles quivered before he relaxed.

"Jethro," Jenny said quietly, hoping he wouldn't actually hear her.

"I didn't move." Jethro answered thickly, close to falling asleep. Jenny slid her other hand into his hair and listened to his breathing even out. Kelly had also fallen asleep since it was her usual nap time.

Jenny looked over her shoulder at the door, wondering if leaving without a word would be better than having to face Jethro. Her decision was going to make a lot of unnecessary repercussions, not only in her personal life but also in Ziva's. Jethro deserved better, and she was hating herself for – technically – stringing him along.

Jethro's soft snoring pulled her from her thoughts, she kissed his cheek tenderly. The loud knock on the door caused him to jolt awake and reach for his hip.

"Jethro, relax." Jenny soothed as she nudged him to get up. He was always ready to shoot something or someone. "It's probably James."

Jethro sat up, scrubbing a hand over his face. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing down the cow-lick on the side of his head. He pushed himself off of the couch and trudged to where Kelly was fast asleep on the carpet. Picking her up he deposited her on the couch and covered her with the fleece blanket thrown over the back of it. He groaned as he stood back up, the couch hadn't done any wonders for his back.

James followed his sister into the kitchen, mindful not to wake Kelly as they passed through the living room. He had visited the Gibbs-residence a few times, they always made him feel welcome and it was nice spending time with them instead of being alone most of the time.

"Hey, Gibbs." James greeted as they entered the kitchen, not bothering with giving the older man the customary festive wish since he knew how much he disliked Christmas.

James placed the gift bag he had brought along with him on the table, "Mom would have killed me if I didn't bring anything." he said as he looked at his sister's raised eyebrow. She had told him he didn't have to bother with a gift, but his mother had forced him to take something.

Jethro pulled the bag towards him, curious as to what was inside. He smiled and nodded his head at James, hitting him on the shoulder in approval. They'd definitely be making use of the chocolates and fresh bottle of bourbon. Jethro handed them each a cup of coffee and took a seat at the kitchen table.

Jenny listened as Jethro and her brother talked about one of Jethro's latest projects down in the basement. She was relieved that even just for a moment she didn't have to pretend that everything was okay. Earlier, she wanted to tell Jethro about the Paris Op, but he'd seemed so peaceful and she didn't want to disturb him.

She desperately wanted to ask him if he thought they could make their relationship work. If he couldn't tell her he loved her, his faith in their relationship would have given her the reassurance she needed. There was no doubt he cared for her, she wouldn't have stayed with him for so long if he didn't care. She had to call Vance as soon as possible, but she didn't want her life to fall apart just yet.

Jenny snapped out of her musing when the chairs scraped on the wooden floor, looking up she saw her brother and Jethro standing. They didn't seem to notice her slight bewildered look as they made their way to the living room, only to return with Kelly's bicycle and the toolbox.

Jenny reached for the necklace around her neck, touching the emerald stone thoughtfully. She wanted to tell him tonight that she was leaving, that whatever was between them wasn't working for her. It was cruel, but he'd most probably say something hurtful that would make it a little easier to leave everything behind. She wanted to hate him, she needed to hate him – because for the very first time in her life she truly loved someone but she wasn't so sure if he loved her back.

What hurt the most was Kelly telling her she loved her. The little girl was so innocent, so pure, unaware of the turmoil she had created in the red-headed woman. Jenny knew that Kelly would probably be devastated when she left, the little girl had already lost so much in her life. It was unfair to her and to Jethro – but then again that was exactly how life was.

The basement light flickered on as Jethro slammed the light switch, illuminating the skeletal boat that sat in silence. He jogged down the old creaking steps, the toolbox swinging in his hand. Sauntering to where his workbench stood in darkness, he turned the light on as well. Placing the toolbox on the workbench, he took the bicycle from James.

James stuffed his hands in his pockets, navigating his way through the few randomly placed saw-horses, he admired the wooden creation like he usually did when he was in the basement. Running a hand over the wooden structure he wiped away some of the sawdust that had settled on it. He hadn't believed Jenny when she had told him Gibbs had a boat in his basement, the logic of building a boat down here was far beyond him.

"How long have you actually been working on this?" James dusted his hand off on his jeans and slid it back in his pocket.

Jethro crossed his arms over his chest, admiring his handy work as well as he leaned against the workbench. He narrowed his eyes a little trying to think. "Since before Kelly was born, I think. It was hard building it while being deployed." Jethro chuckled.

James smiled and turned back towards the boat. He'd asked Jenny once what Gibbs' back story was and he could see that the topic had made her uncomfortable. All she had said was that Kelly's mother had passed away and that she didn't know why.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" James asked as he faced Gibbs again.

Jethro shrugged his shoulders, he had tried not to think about it. He had thought of naming the boat after his mother when he had first drawn up the plans, but after Shannon had died he hadn't thought about it again. "Haven't thought about it yet." Turning back to his workbench, Jethro opened the toolbox, looking for the wrench James had asked for.

"I didn't mean to pry, Gibbs." James mumbled, realising that he might have overstepped.

Jethro's hand stilled as he moved a few things around in the toolbox. He twisted his body so he could look at James, "She told you." he stated after a long moment of silence. Seeing the kid's eyes widen he turned back to his workbench and found the thing he was looking for.

Handing it over to James he slapped his arm lightly, "It's okay. Hell, if I were you I'd ask questions too."

James relaxed visibly giving an almost nervous chuckle, his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and he felt like he should hide his head somewhere. "Jenny said that I shouldn't bring it up." He said after a moment of yet more silence. James twisted his hands around the wrench, fidgeting much like Jenny sometimes did, "She really cares about you."

The Italian turned back to the boat, running his eyes over the impressive structure once again. He pursed his lips slightly as he turned back to face Gibbs, "I know I haven't known Jenny for all that long, but she's my sister and I don't want her to get hurt."

Jethro frowned, "Has she said somethin' to you?" it was bothering him that James – who usual didn't say much – was telling him this.

"No." He answered, "I'm just looking out for her."

Jethro allowed a small smile to steal over his face, nodding his head. He admired the young man's boldness to say in no uncertain term that he would be breaking his neck if things between him and Jenny didn't work. Turning around to close his toolbox, he smiled to himself, thinking of the small box hidden in his dresser.

"That friend of yours who works at the jewellery store, he did a good job in getting that pocket watch to work again." Jethro closed the toolbox lid with a snap before turning to look at James again.

James nodded his head with a smile. He had felt honoured when Gibbs had asked if he knew anyone who'd be able to get the watch working again, "Yeah, we were in school together in England. He was always tinkering with old watches and clocks when he was supposed to be studying."

"If you two are done," Jenny said from atop the basement stairs, looking between her brother and Jethro, "lunch is ready and I doubt Kelly will be able to wait any longer."

She smiled at Jethro when he looked at her, hoping he wouldn't be able to see that it didn't really reach her eyes.

* * *

The small night light made the soft yellow walls appear warm and cosy, and it seemed to help Kelly settle down as she lay snuggled under her thick blankets and comforter. She yawned loudly causing her eyes to tear a little and a small giggle to escape from her lips. She wormed her sock clad feet underneath Yoda and snuggled with her stuffed animals.

Jethro waited for her to get comfortable before they started their bedtime story. It was the first time in a while that he was tucking her in, she usually wanted Jenny to tucker her, but he wasn't complaining. He studied the illustrations on the book, he was thankful that Christmas would be over in a few hours. Having to hear _How the Grinch stole Christmas_ over and over again, had started getting on his nerves. He was more than confident that he'd like _The_ _Cat in the_ _H_ _at_ far more than the annoying Christmas tale.

Jenny was sitting at the foot of the bed, the spot he usually took when she was tucking Kelly in. Flipping the brand new book open to the first page, he started reading, keeping one eye on Kelly and the other on the book.

" _The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold wet day._ "

Jenny closed her eyes, listening to the low rumble that was Jethro's voice as he read to Kelly. It was hard seeing him as the tough agent he actually was, when he snuggled with Kelly and enjoyed the story books far more than the toddler did. These were the moments she was going to miss, when he was completely unguarded and simply _Jethro_.

Jethro closed the book slowly, Kelly had fallen asleep almost halfway through but he had kept reading, since it was now a rather rare treat to read to her. Placing the book on the night stand, he extracted himself from her tiny hands that had been fisted in his hoodie. Placing a kiss on her forehead he moved away and waited for Jenny to say goodnight.

He watched as the redhead kissed Kelly on her forehead like every other night, but his heart gave an unexpected thud as he watched.

Jenny padded towards him and slipped past him into the quiet hall. Closing the door only halfway, he slung an arm around Jenny's shoulders and pulled her into his side, dropping a kiss in her hair they headed towards the stairs.

There was an open bottle of bourbon and a half eaten box chocolates waiting for them. Kelly had shared the chocolates with them, but halfway through she'd refused to take any more saying she felt nauseous.

Taking a seat on the couch, Jethro pulled the ceramic cup and mason jar towards him. Filling the mug with a splash and his jar with a decent amount of whiskey he handed Jenny her mug. Jenny usually started with a small amount and then added a little more after that. Jethro smiled to himself, he usually ended up with her drunk and unwilling to leave him alone.

Jenny went for the chocolates, not really caring about the bourbon. Inspecting the small leaflet that said which was which she picked one that was orange flavoured. She bit the half-moon shaped sweet in half, appreciating the slight bitter taste the orange flavoured syrup inside had to offer. Licking her lips she held out the other half to Jethro.

She watched as he pulled his face in disgust, and she laughed at him. Few people liked the tangy bitter taste of orange syrup inside of chocolate, and she was one of those few.

"How do you eat that stuff?" Jethro took a large mouthful of bourbon to wash the taste down, unimpressed.

Jenny smiled at him, batting her eyelashes prettily, "The same way you can eat Turkish delight." she informed him as he ate the chocolate covered treat, it was one thing she couldn't stand.

"At least it tastes like something." Jethro grumbled as he took another drink from his bourbon. He pulled the chocolate box towards him, inspecting the rest of the sweets. He saw Jenny lean forward when he picked up a dark velvety one, grinning to himself he placed half of it between his teeth.

Jenny glared at him, she bit her lips when he leaned closer to her. She closed her eyes and allowed her senses to be flooded with chocolate and bourbon as he leaned in to kiss her. Looking at him through her lashes she could see his eyes sparkle, licking her lips again she placed a hand on his cheek, savouring the moment.

"Jethro," she murmured as he nuzzled her cheek, "I know we agreed no presents-"

"But you bought one anyway." He finished for her, his crooked smile curling his lips as he kissed her cheek.

"You're not angry?" Jenny asked as they pulled apart. When he shook his head she eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he knew she had bought him something. Abandoning her seat she made her way to where she had dropped her handbag a little carelessly.

Pulling the unwrapped box out of her handbag she joined Jethro on the couch again, shrugging when he looked at the unwrapped box. "Figured if it's not wrapped, it's not technically a present." Jenny explained as she handed the box over to Jethro.

Jethro shook his head and took the box from her. He recognised the familiar _Omega_ lettering stamped on the box instantly. Opening it slowly, he raised his eyebrows in surprise at the watch inside.

"It doesn't require any attention, you just have to set it to the right time." It was a difficult task finding a gift for Jethro, worse than finding one for his birthday. The watch had been a spur of the moment decision, the one he wore had seen better days.

Jethro placed the red box on the coffee table. Pulling Jenny closer, he bumped his nose against hers affectionately. He kissed her tenderly, weaving his fingers in her hair and keeping her close to him. He hoped she wouldn't notice that he was feeling nervous. He kissed her again, "Thank you."

"My pleasure." She whispered as he moved his kisses over her jaw.

Jethro pulled away, "I'll be right back."

Jenny pulled the chocolate box towards her, waiting for Jethro to come back. Taking a deep breath she tried calming herself and gathering her courage to talk to him.

Jethro moved quickly up the stairs, taking two at a time. He moved down the hall silently, not wanting to wake Kelly or Yoda. Easing his bedroom door open he padded over to his dresser. Yanking the top drawer open he pushed the white t-shirts aside, revealing the velvety black box. His heart thudded in his throat, his insides knotting almost uncontrollably. He hadn't been this nervous since the first time he'd done this.

Opening the lid he made sure it was still safely tucked inside. Jethro took a deep breath, trying to push everything out of his mind. They hadn't talked about this at all, Jenny never even mentioned it, but it felt right to be doing this.

Not caring about closing the drawer he switched off the bedroom light and waltzed down the hall to the stairs. Taking one last calming breath he rushed down the steps, slipping the box in his jean pocket.

Jenny looked up from studying the few remaining chocolates. Licking the tips of her fingers she smiled at Jethro as he took a seat next to her again. Taking a sip of her bourbon, she pulled her face at the bitter taste and leaned back against the couch. She could feel the alcohol go straight to her head and the heat in her cheeks to rise a little. Leaning in to Jethro she placed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Jen," Jethro whispered as she looked at him, "I'm not very good with words."

Jenny sat back, her head cocked a little as she watched him struggle with trying to express whatever he wanted to say.

"You've given me a new sense of perspective." Jethro cleared his throat softly, "No-one should go through life alone, and if there's one person I want by my side." Jethro placed a hand on Jenny's cheek stroking the sensitive skin softly, "It's you." Jethro slid to the floor, kneeling on one knee.

Jenny looked at him with wide emerald eyes her heart pounding rapidly, she couldn't find her voice to say something. She felt numb as she watched Jethro get down on one knee.

Jethro pulled the black velvet box out of his pocket, flipping the lid open. Taking Jenny's left hand in his, he met her large green eyes.

"Jenny, will you be my wife?" Jethro could hear his heart beat in his ears, making him almost light headed.

Jenny opened her mouth, not sure whether she should say something or burst out in tears. Jenny's eyes flicked to the emerald engagement ring – it was beautiful. The things he'd said were so intricate and yet so undeniably Jethro. Biting her lip, she placed her free hand on his cheek, not even caring about the tears that stung her eyes.

"Jethro I..." He smiled at her and she felt the tears roll down her cheeks, "No."

Jenny pulled her hand out of Jethro's, and tried to move away from him. He didn't move and she doubted he could, those warm liquid blue eyes hand turned icy in a split second. Jenny walked away from Jethro, not wanting to look at him as she cried. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Jethro," She said thickly, "Please say something." she wanted him to tell her to get out of his life to leave and never come back.

Jethro stood to his feet snapping the velvet box shut he rubbed his thumb over the smooth black material. Gripping the small box tightly in his hand he ground his teeth as he threw the box across the room not caring where it landed. He fisted a hand in his hair, yanking painfully hard. He didn't trust himself to say something.

Jenny jumped slightly as she heard the elegant box hit something with a loud clatter. "I think I should leave." Jenny whispered. She walked closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder but he moved away from her, not saying anything.

Jenny bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. She reached out to him again, but dropped her hand, not wanting him to look at her with the pain and anger that had flashed in his eyes. Taking a shuddering breath she headed for the stairs. She wiped at her eyes furiously, she wasn't supposed to cry, she was going to leave him in anyway – he didn't even love her.

Pushing the bedroom door open, she flicked on the light and pushed the top drawer shut that had been left open. Throwing the closet door open she pulled out her duffel bag. Throwing it on the bed carelessly, she yanked her clothes off the hangers roughly, not caring about the plastic ones that snapped.

She was more angry with herself than she was with him. This had been a perfect opportunity to tell him about her Op, to ask him if he thought their relationship would be able to make it. But she couldn't find it in herself to commit, she had never even thought about marriage. Marry Jethro? A man who still mourned for his dead wife. They had never even discussed marriage as a possibility, there were too many unsaid things between them, it was simply a train wreck waiting to happen.

The bedroom door flew open, slamming against the wall loudly as Jethro stormed in. Jenny looked at him with a glare, she couldn't face him now she had to get away and clear her head, she had to walk away before it was too late.

"Did I miss something?" Jethro growled tensely as he watched Jenny throw her clothes in her duffel bag. "You just going to leave with out telling me why you can't marry me?"

"Jethro," Jenny snapped back, "I can't deal with you right now." she pushed past him, opening the second drawer and gathering the rest of her clothes.

"The least you can do is give me an explanation!" He shouted at her as she rummaged through the drawer.

Jenny spun around, "Keep your voice down." she hissed at him looking down the hall, the last thing they needed was Kelly waking up. Grabbing the last of her clothes, she invaded his personal space, standing toe to toe with him. "You're angry, I get it, but I can't marry you."

"Why, Jen? Just tell me why?" Jethro ground out, he could see the tears well up in her eyes.

Jenny dropped her gaze and moved to the bed, "I just can't." she zipped the duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder. The tears were coming quicker than she could wipe them away. She tried getting past Jethro but he blocked her.

"Bullshit." He glared at her.

Jenny pressed her lips in a thing line. This was for the better, she couldn't face him now. There was no way he'd let her go if she told him about Paris or her plans. "Jethro, please, just give me some time."

Jethro slid a hand in his hair again, turning away from her he slammed his hand against the wall, needing some way to get rid of his frustration. He turned back to her and took a hold of her shoulders gently, he'd seen the flash of fear in her eyes and he wondered why she feared he'd hurt her.

"Time for what? Why won't you give me an answer?" He pleaded with her, hoping she'd at least explain herself. He understood if he was moving a little too fast for her, he'd give her some time to think it over. The fact that she was packing her bag was scaring him, because he knew that she was walking away.

"Jethro," Jenny whispered, her cheeks stained with tears. "please let me go." She didn't want him to let her go, she wanted him to force her to talk to him. Force her to tell the truth, she _needed_ him to fight for what they had, because the rational part of her mind was telling her that she was throwing her life away.

Jethro dropped his hands from her shoulders, stepping aside to let her leave. He didn't want her to go, but if that was what she wanted then he couldn't keep her. He met her bloodshot eyes as she walked past him, the pain he saw confused him, he couldn't comprehend why she felt that way since _she_ was leaving _him_. Jethro followed behind her down the hall.

Jenny stormed down the stairs, grabbing her last few of her belongings and her car keys. The few moments of silence had given her a chance to become more angry with their situation, and to direct her anger towards Jethro. Wrenching the front door open she spun on her heel and glared at Jethro as he followed closely behind her.

"I suggest you think about this." She snapped at him, hoping that he'd become angry with her, because she doubted she could look at him any longer when he watched her with those broken blue eyes.

Jethro grit his teeth, "You're the one leaving!" he shouted again, his chest rising and falling with each angry breath he took.

"There's too many secrets between us for this to ever work." Jenny retorted softly as she averted her gaze from Jethro's to somewhere else.

"Daddy!"

Jethro grit his teeth, he watched as Jenny chewed her lip looking up at the landing at the top of the stairs. Meeting her eyes as she looked at him, he saw a fresh set of tears spring to her eyes as she turned around and walked away.

Jethro closed the door and turned towards the stairs. Kelly was standing on the top landing, holding her teddies in her arms, "Daddy, what's happening? Why is Jenny leaving?" her small voice was laced with fear.

Jethro let out a heavy sigh, turning back to the door to watch the Audi's red tail lights disappear into the night. He rushed up the stairs swooping Kelly up off the floor he held her to him. "It's nothing, honey." He hushed he softly.

"Can I sleep with you, I don't wanna be alone." Kelly hiccuped through her tears.

"Me neither, baby."

* * *

There was an obnoxious sound coming from somewhere and he couldn't really place it. He groaned as the sound only seemed to get louder, it felt like it was ringing inside his skull. Lifting his head from under the pillow he glared around the still dark room. The look on his face only darkened when the noise stopped. Dropping his head back on the pillow he prayed that sleep would find him again.

The noise had barely stopped when it started again. Tony shot up in bed, glaring around the room, it wasn't his home phone that was ringing. It couldn't be his cellphone, since it had been damaged irreparably and he hadn't bothered to replace it yet. He scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to find something that could tell him what time it was.

The ever faithful _Mighty Mouse_ clock's glowing hands indicated that it was just before four in the morning. Tony frowned, a call that early on Boxing Day only meant one thing, either he or Ziva had a case. He turned towards the Israeli, glaring at her for having the ability to sleep through the racket her cellphone was making.

"Ziva," He called softly, he didn't want to startle her, she slept with her Sig under her pillow and he'd had a few encounters with the barrel of her gun. When she didn't wake up he rolled his eyes, "Ziva!"

"What?!" She sat up in bed, blinking tired brown eyes at him. "What, my little hairy butt?"

"Your phone, it's ringing, and it's keeping me awake." He gnarled at her as he flopped back down in bed. He stuck his tongue out at Ziva when she glared at him.

"Why did you not answer it then?" She snapped at him as she threw the covers back, shivering slightly as the cold air licked her tanned skin. Kicking the small piles of clothes out of her way, she padded across the cold floor to the hearth where her phone sat on the mantel.

The ringing stopped the moment she picked up her phone. The phone started ringing again and she snapped it open.

"Ziva David."

Tony pulled the covers up around him, trying to get comfortable again. He closed his eyes and listened to Ziva as she spoke in Hebrew. He frowned, the only time she spoke Hebrew was when she received a call from Israel or when she was talking to Jenny. He hoped it wasn't work, he was looking forward to sleeping in with her and watching a couple of movies during the day.

He'd probably nodded off because when he opened his eyes Ziva was getting dressed. He pushed himself up, looking at her a little bleary eyed as she moved around the room trying to find clothes that weren't wrinkled.

"You get a case?" He asked after he cleared his throat.

"No," Ziva said a little distractedly as she pulled on her boots, "it's a friend. I won't be back for a while, you should get some more sleep."

Tony slipped out from under the covers, thankful that he'd pulled on a pair of sweats before falling asleep. He scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to get rid of some of the sleep. Licking his lips he walked towards Ziva as she stood near the door, busy pulling her curly hair in a tight ponytail.

"Is it Jenny? Did something happen?" Tony felt himself jolt awake, already searching for a shirt to pull on.

"Tony, everything is fine. Jenny was calling from her home. They probably had a fight." Ziva tried to placate Tony as quickly as possible. She was concerned for her friend, Jenny had sounded drunk and almost panicked, all she could gather from her friend's slur was that she needed to tell her something important. It was unlike Jenny to just get drunk without a reason, the woman hated being out of control.

"You sure?" Tony asked.

"Yes, get some sleep, I'll be back before you know it." Ziva patted his cheek and headed for the bathroom quickly.

Tony waited near the front door for Ziva. He was seriously spending too much time around Gibbs, because he had a gut feeling that something was up. Ziva appeared and he gave her an almost forced smile. "Be careful. The roads are slick." Ziva smiled at him and kissed him goodbye.

Shivering slightly, Ziva slammed her hand against the dashboard, cursing the heater for not working. Pulling her coat tighter around her she tried to concentrate on the icy road in front of her. She was thankful that the roads were almost deserted, only a couple of cars had passed her on her way to Georgetown.

Jenny's phone call had put her on edge, the last time Jenny had called her drunk and confused had been two years ago in London. They had been re-stationed from Tel Aviv to the British capital, they had narrowly missed getting killed in a bombing in Tel Aviv hence being re-stationed, but they hadn't escaped without a scratch. Jenny had fought an infection due to her wounds not being cleaned properly.

There had been moments where she'd thought her friend wouldn't make it, but she'd learned that despite her delicate appearance, Jenny were as though as they come. That's why a personal call at four in the morning made her drive all the way to Georgetown, she'd even slap Gibbs around if it meant Jenny would feel better.

Blowing on her cold hands, Ziva turned on to the right street and let out a relieved sigh. Navigating the snow covered road carefully. The old mansion was shrouded in darkness, the only light illuminating it coming from the street lights. Parking the car, Ziva grit her teeth as she contemplated getting out.

Opening the door she shivered and slammed the car door shut. She silently prayed that Jenny was still home, it wasn't unlike the redhead to just disappear without anyone knowing where she went. Walking briskly across the street, she walked to the driveway, making sure the Audi was there. Judging from the thin layer of snow covering the car, Jenny had been home for a while.

Trudging up the brick path, Ziva tried to see if there was any form of light that could indicate where in the house Jenny was. Trying the doorknob she frowned when it didn't budge. Lifting the – now dead – potted plant Ziva took the spare key. Blowing some dirt off of it, she slid it in the lock.

The old mansion was uncharacteristically cold and quiet, even the tick of the old grandfather clock was gone. Ziva closed the old door behind her softly, trying to listen for movement that might indicate where Jenny was. Taking a step towards the study her boots squeaked on the tiled floor, cringing she halted in moving forward. There was a soft noise somewhere in the house.

Ziva stopped dead in her tracks when she could just make out the familiar silhouette that was Jenny Shepard standing in the doorway leading to her study. She could see Jenny lower her Sig as she recognised her, thanks to the street lights flooding in through the window. Taking a hesitant step forward she watched her friend take a step back. Ziva narrowed her eyes, wishing she could see Jenny more clearly.

"It was not a social call." Ziva broke the silence, she could smell the whiskey from where she stood, this was going to be a long day if it started like this.

Jenny made a derisive noise in the back of her throat and turned back to the study, needing to refill her glass. She'd been drinking from the moment she had walked through her front door, leaving her duffel bag and pretty much everything else in the foyer. She was sure she had passed a drunken state, the alcohol had done nothing to numb the pain, it only made her think about it more and more. Whenever she closed her eyes all she could see were those blue depths staring at her with anger and hate.

Taking a shuddering breath, she topped up her glass, listening to Ziva walk silently into the study. There had been a moment of clarity in her drunken daze where she realised she'd have to tell Ziva that they were leaving, or at least that she herself was leaving and that the Israeli was free to stay in DC. Jenny bit her bottom lip, wincing in pain, her lip was raw with how much she had chewed it in contemplation. She took a drink of her whiskey, unable to taste it.

"I fucked up, Ziva." Jenny slurred after gulping down half of her tumbler.

Ziva narrowed her eyes, wondering what was going on. Fed up with having to squint to see Jenny, she made her way to the old wooden desk, feeling around for the switch that turned to desk lamp on. The dim yellow light lit up the study, shedding some light on the state in which Jenny was in. Ziva saw the empty bottle of scotch accompanied by another that had been open not too long ago.

"Did you and Gibbs fight?" Ziva asked as she placed the cap back on the bottle of _Macallan_.

Jenny still had her eyes closed, the light was too bright and the sound of Ziva's boots thumping on the floor was too loud. She nodded her head blindly, unable to say it out loud in fear that she might breakdown and cry again. She was hurting, more than she thought she would. Another reminder of why falling for Jethro had been a mistake. "Yeah." Jenny said hoarsely.

"Jenny," Ziva said as she touched Jenny's shoulder, making the redhead face her. She waited for Jenny to open her eyes, only to find that they were as bloodshot and dazed as she had expected, this was worse than London. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened."

Jenny pulled away form Ziva, preferring to stare at the _Strawberry Shortcake_ doll that lay in one of the leather chairs. She fought back the urge to scream, they had consumed her life and she was finding it difficult to walk away from it – from them. Licking her lips she smacked them together, "He asked me to marry him."

Ziva merely raised an eyebrow, not seeing why it was reason enough to drink almost an entire bottle of scotch. "It is not what you wanted? I thought that things were serious between you two."

Jenny slammed her crystal tumbler on the desk, turning to face Ziva. "Of course it's what I want, what woman doesn't want to get married." Jenny snapped angrily, glaring at Ziva as best she could.

"Jenny, I do not understand why you are upset. If you want to marry him then why are you here, drunk, instead of with him?!" Ziva grit her teeth in irritation, she had never been good with emotions, or emotional women.

"Because I'm leaving him!" Jenny shouted at Ziva, her cheeks flushing with anger instead of from the alcohol. Slamming the empty glass on the desk again, she moved to her liquor cabinet. Taking the decanter, since Ziva took her bottle of scotch.

Ziva stopped Jenny as she tried to get past her. Placing a comforting hand on her friend's arm, she took the decanter from her. Placing it back in the cabinet, she made Jenny sit in one of the leather chairs, "Jenny," Ziva knelt in front of her, "drinking isn't going to make it easier."

"There is more to this than just him proposing." Ziva sounded almost unsure, but when Jenny looked up sharply she knew she was on the right track.

"You're getting good at this." Jenny slurred again as she eyed her partner. Sitting back in her chair she looked at Ziva long and hard. She knew that Ziva had always been able to separate her personal life from her professional one. She thought she had the ability to do the same, but Jethro had obliterated everything.

"By eight o'clock tonight, I'll be on the next flight out of Dulles on my way to France." Jenny said thickly, forcing down her emotions.

"You have been reassigned." Ziva stated softly, surprised that she hadn't been informed of the change. "Will you be going alone?"

Jenny shook her head, pressing the palm of her hand into her forehead. "You have the option of going with or staying here."

Ziva leaned back, standing to her feet she moved to the other chair. Placing the doll on the desk, she settled in the cool leather chair. She was used to being moved around without warning, Mossad demanded that of all their agents, to her it was nothing new. In a way she could understand Jenny's feelings, but she was more than sure they could make it work despite being apart from each other.

"He will not wait?"

Jenny gave her a hollow laugh, Jethro didn't even know why she had said no. "I can't expect him to wait for me."

Ziva frowned at the reply. She didn't know Gibbs as well as Jenny did, but she couldn't help but think that if he wanted something as serious as marriage that he'd be willing to wait. Something was amiss, she couldn't say what it was but things weren't adding up. There was no point in questioning Jenny's decision, she could tell that even in her drunken state the redhead wouldn't divulge much more.

"If he is serious, he will wait for you." Ziva murmured after a moment of silence.

Jenny leaned her head back against the chair, trying to stop her head from spinning. She was starting to feel nauseous from all the alcohol she had consumed. She didn't dare move, in fear that the pounding in her head would intensify. "He can't let go. He still clings to her, he can't even say that he loves me."

Ziva's eye widened imperceptibly, no-one knew about Gibbs' wife – or rather former wife. She hadn't been aware that Jenny knew, but it didn't actually surprise her either. "Why do you not confront him?"

"He's a bastard, Ziva. I can't be with someone who doesn't love me."

"Maybe if you tell him-" Ziva started but was interrupted

"Ziva! Just drop it!" Jenny shouted at her, her emerald eyes glistening with tears. She dropped her face in her hands, groaning at the onslaught of pain she suddenly felt all over. "I'm sorry, Ziva." She said thickly, lifting her head to look at her friend.

Ziva merely raised a perfect eyebrow, someone's emotional outburst was the last thing that could hurt her feelings. Ziva ran her fingers up the armrest of the expensive leather chair. She watched as the early morning sun spilled through the small gap in the drapes.

"When does our mission start?" The warmth had disappeared from her voice all of the sudden, she'd realised in the brief moment of silence, that she too would be leaving someone behind.

"We need to be there by the 28th. Mossad is already there." Jenny mumbled as she fought down the urge to throw up. Licking her lips a little breathlessly, her head lolled to the side so she could look at Ziva. "You don't have to go, I'll understand."

Ziva shook her head at Jenny, looking at her partner with hard brown eyes. "My work comes first." Ziva cleared her throat softly, "I won't leave my partner to fight for herself."

Whatever Jenny had planned on saying was interrupted when she felt bile rising in her throat. Jumping to her feet she rushed down the hall to the nearest bathroom, vaguely aware that Ziva was hot on her heels. She stumbled a few times in the dark hall, not caring about the things she knocked over.

Ziva let out a soft sigh as she helped Jenny up from where she was slumped against the wall. She'd given the redhead space while she had been sick, not wanting her to snap at her again. Wiping her face with a damp wash cloth, she pushed Jenny's thick red hair out of her face. She took a seat on the cold tile floor.

"You really love him, yes?" Ziva asked as she watched Jenny drink the glass of water she had given her.

Jenny kept her eyes shut, nodding her head silently. She couldn't lie to Ziva, she was a human lie detector, but she didn't feel like lying. Whether it had to do with the alcohol she had consumed or the fact that she was fed up with keeping secrets, she didn't really know.

"At least ask him to wait for you." Ziva placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, " _He_ deserves to know what he did wrong."

"If it were anyone else, I probably would have shouted at them." Jenny said hoarsely, the slur slowly fading.

Ziva shook her head, giving her friend a faint smile. She refilled the glass with water and handed it back to Jenny. "We take care of one another."

Ziva stood back up, holding out her hand to Jenny to help her to her feet. She led Jenny through the old house up the stairs to her room. She'd make sure Jenny was safely tucked in before leaving her. The bedroom was littered with various articles of clothing. Some where in a large duffel bag others were scattered on the floor.

Ziva made sure the alarm was set before slinking out of the room.

Jenny listened to the floorboards creak as Ziva made her way out of the house. She waited for her front door to slam shut before reaching for the home phone on her night stand. It was nearly six in the morning and she doubted Leon would be up, but she had to give him her answer before she backed out.

" _Vance."_

"Ziva and I are leaving tonight." Jenny said softly, she listened to the static before there was another answer.

" _I'll have the current team meet you at the airport. You'll be briefed then."_ The line went dead and the dial tone echoed in the room.

Ziva eased the federal sedan into its usual parking spot in front of the large apartment building. It hadn't been that hard to realise that she would have to separate work form pleasure. Her relationship with Tony was a mutual need, they had never claimed that they were in a relationship, they simply went with the flow of things.

Taking the elevator to Tony's floor, she sauntered down the hall to the familiar white door. Sliding her key into the lock, she opened it quietly only to hear something playing on TV. She should have known he wouldn't have gone back to bed. She heard a muttered curse coming from the kitchen before he appeared with a cup of coffee.

"You're back." Tony said as he watched her shrug off her coat, he hadn't even heard her come in. Taking a sip of his coffee he moseyed to the couch, taking a seat and patting the cushion for Ziva to join him.

"Where you expecting someone else?" Ziva teased as she kicked off her boots. When Tony gave her a slight smile she rolled her eyes and took the seat next to him.

" _Gremlins_ is about to start." Tony watched as the opening credits started.

"It is a _Christmas_ movie?" Ziva asked almost shocked.

"Yeah, well sort of like a horror Christmas movie, since it is set during Christmas." Tony said distractedly.

Ziva felt her throat constrict a tiny bit at the thought of ruining his day. Knowing he wouldn't be listening to her, she looked for the remote. The indignant sound he let out would have drawn a laugh from her if the situation hadn't been so serious. When she didn't smile at him she could see he realised that something was up.

"Tony, we need to talk." Ziva said quietly as she placed the remote back on the coffee table.

Tony swallowed a little nervously, it was never a good sign when a woman wanted to 'talk'. Clearing his throat he tried to go for the only thing that worked for him in situations like these, "Those four words can make any guy nervous."

Tony frowned when she didn't react, placing his cup on the table he turned to look her in the eye, "Ziva," she met his gaze, "what's wrong?"

"What makes you think something is wrong?" She asked neutrally.

Tony raised his eyebrow knowingly, "If a woman wants to talk, there's usually something wrong."

Ziva smiled at him, it was easy to see that he had been a different man before his engagement had ended. Moving to the edge of the couch she placed her hand on his, stroking his knuckles lightly. Looking up, she stared into his large olive eyes.

"I have been re-assigned." She tightened her grip on his hand, "I have to leave tonight."

"What?" Tony blurted out, knowing that his facial expression was far from cool and collected like he had hoped he'd be. "Is it just you? Is that why Jenny called you?" He almost sounded angry.

"No, it's me and Jenny. That is why she called me."

Tony gave her an annoyed look pulling away from her he reached for his coffee. "That's a little short notice don't you think. I mean, how long has she known about this?"

Ziva rolled her eyes, he was making a bigger scene about this than she had thought. Letting out an irritated sigh she listened as he rambled on, "DiNozzo!" she glared when he closed his mouth and glowered at her.

"This isn't easy on her either. If things were different, then maybe we would have stayed, but it's not and we just have to take it as it comes." Ziva leaned back against the leather couch, watching Tony analyse everything.

"What do you mean if things were different?" The Italian's head snapped up, looking at her with wide eyes again, the wheels in his head spinning faster than he could keep up.

"It is over between them. That is the term, yes?"

"Yeah," Tony turned towards Ziva, concern clouding his eyes, "What happened?"

Ziva tried gauging whether he wanted to know because he was genuinely concerned, or if he wanted to know because it would make great office gossip. There was real worry in his green eyes and she knew it was because he looked up to Gibbs, and that they were all in their own unique way a family. Taking a breath she sat forward again. "He proposed."

Tony frowned, "That made her run for the hills?"

Ziva rolled her eyes and slapped his arm good-naturedly, shaking her head. Turning more serious, she pursed her lips slightly. "It is hard being with someone who doesn't love you." Ziva gave Tony a soft smile when he seemed to consider her words. Of all people he knew how it must feel.

Ziva moved closer to Tony, pressing a loving kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I should go. I have a lot to do." She moved to get up but Tony stopped her from moving.

"Ziva," He looked at her closely, "stay."

"I can't." She whispered back, pressing her forehead against his, she could feel his breath on her face as he breathed softly. "But we can spend the day together."

Tony smiled at her and kissed her tenderly.

* * *

Dusk was starting to settle over the city, colouring the sky with soft hues of purple and orange. Time had ticked by faster than she had imagined, she'd wished a few times that she could turn back time. A whole lot of what ifs ran through her mind. She'd spent the last few hours constructing a perfect lie of why she couldn't stay. She couldn't remember ever hurting this much, she knew she sounded sappy and clichéd, but she couldn't find it in her to care.

Jenny zipped her duffel bag and dragged it to the bedroom door. There were more of Jethro's clothes in it than she would care to admit. She'd stolen a few of his shirts along with one or two of his sweatshirts. The rest of his clothes where in a plastic bag, she'd promised herself that she wouldn't hold onto him, but she couldn't find herself to let go of him completely.

Noemi didn't know she was leaving and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. She couldn't face the older woman, she couldn't actually face anyone. There was no point in feeling sorry for herself, she had made her bed and now she had to sleep in it, but it didn't necessarily mean she wanted to. The guilt however was consuming, knowing that she was forcing Ziva to leave behind everything and run off to France, all because she had a score to settle.

Taking a seat on the edge of her bed she looked around the old master bedroom. The first time she had to leave, she had been far less attached to the things around her. Everything had become impersonal and distant. Now the room held more intimate memories, moments of intimacy between her and Jethro that she'd forever hold dear, no matter how bitter-sweet they would become.

She had been conflicted about saying goodbye, or just leaving without any explanation. She had no doubt that he'd be able to track her down and give her a piece of his mind. She had to make sure he stayed behind, and that meant hurting him.

Letting out a heavy breath through her nose, she rubbed her hands over her thighs trying to gather her courage before her time was up. Grabbing the duffel bag and the plastic bag she headed out the bedroom. Her footsteps echoed in the quiet house as she came to a halt in the foyer.

The _Strawberry Shortcake_ doll was laying right next to her keys. Jenny picked the doll up, Kelly was probably the only reason she was going back, she just wanted to say goodbye to the little ray of sunshine. Placing the doll in her handbag, she slung her duffel over her shoulder and headed out of the door. She would call Noemi before she boarded the plane, and ask her to pick up her car from the parking lot.

Locking the front door she took heavy steps towards the Audi, wondering if she really was doing the right thing.

The usual twenty five minute drive from Georgetown to Alexandria felt shorter than it usually did. She pulled into the familiar driveway. All the lights were on in the old house, she could see Jethro's shadow as he moved from one room to another. Grabbing the doll from her handbag and the bag with his clothes she took a deep breath.

The snow crunched under her boots as she walked on the small footpath. She wondered if she should simply leave their things near the door, they'd come out eventually and find it there. That way she wouldn't have to face Jethro and she wouldn't have to say goodbye to Kelly. It registered that it was a coward's way out, but it was the most appealing of all the possibilities rather than talking to Jethro. Gritting her teeth, she steeled herself for what was to come.

Climbing the steps quietly she listened to the hushed voices coming from inside. It was obvious that the TV was playing a Christmas movie, no doubt per Kelly's request. She heard Yoda bark and Jethro snap at him to be quiet. Despite the wall between them, she could tell from the gnarl in his voice that he was in a dark mood. Another reason the turn tail and run. It surprised her that he hadn't heard the car pull up. Yoda yapped again and this time the anger in his voice was unmistakeable.

The sound of her knuckles pounding on the door reached her ears before she could finish thinking about knocking. The irritated growl was almost indiscernible, but she heard it. Jenny's grip on the things in her hands tightened as she heard the heavy footsteps come towards her. Her heart rate picked up and she thought of running back to her car instead.

Jethro halted as he rounded the corner, his eyes narrowing and his face hardening with anger. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he made sure Kelly was preoccupied.

He wrenched the door open and stepped into the cold night air, closing the door softly to not attract any attention. He felt his jaw ache as he clenched his teeth tightly. He'd tried not to think about her the whole day, but he couldn't keep her out of his mind. He had thought about going after her at one stage. He'd tried calling numerous times, but he slammed the phone down before it even had a chance to ring.

Jethro took in the woman in front of him. She looked like she hadn't had any sleep in days, her eyes were still bloodshot, she looked far worse than the last time he'd seen her. He could tell she had been drinking, and quite a bit judging by how pale her cheeks were and the dullness in her eyes. He was too angry to find it in himself to actually care.

"What do you want?" He was gruff and cold, the usual warmth and care he reserved only for her had disappeared the moment she had walked away. He scowled when she chewed her lip and diverted her eyes from his, the tears impossible to miss.

"I...uhm..." Jenny cleared her throat, forcing herself to get a grip. "I wanted to give back your things, and Kelly forgot her doll at my place. Thought I might bring them back."

"You couldn't leave them at work?" It was clear that he didn't want to see her.

Jenny licked her lips nervously, shaking her head. "I'm leaving." She whispered softly.

Jethro snorted derisively, rolling his eyes, he balled his hands into fists trying to restrain himself. He was finding it hard to be angry with her. He cared for her more deeply than she would ever know, and seeing her like this – in emotional turmoil was making him want to hold her close and force her to talk to him. All he could think of was her turning him down and running away without explanation.

"Do you think I..." Jenny pressed her lips together not sure whether she should ask or not.

"Spit it out, Jen."

"Do you think I can say bye to Kelly before I leave?" She looked at him pleadingly. Jenny watched as the emotions flickered through his eyes.

Jethro let out a huff and turned towards the door, opening it and allowing her to step inside. He didn't feel comfortable about this, he knew Kelly would have a whole lot of questions after Jenny left. He was determined to make her talk before he let her walk out the door again. Taking the plastic bag from her he dropped it near the hamper full of clothes.

Yoda shot up from laying on the couch, his pointy little ears picking up as he listened to the approaching footsteps. Jumping against the back of the couch, he barked once and started wagging his tail when he recognised the redhead.

"Yoda! Shhh!" Kelly scolded as she watched the animated character on TV. Yoda ignored her and barked even louder when no-one paid attention to him. Scrambling off the couch he flopped down in front of Jenny, whining until she scratched his belly.

Kelly spun around, wanting to glare at Yoda for making a noise, her blue eyes grew in size as she saw Jenny. Abandoning her spot on the floor, she hurtled herself toward the redhead.

"Jenny! I missed you, where were you?" Kelly wrapped her arms around Jenny's neck, snuggling into her instinctively. "Daddy's been mean all day, he wouldn't let me play in the snow and we had to stay in the basement. I think he missed you too." She informed her matter of factly.

Jenny smiled, pushing Kelly's thick dark curls off her forehead. "I missed you too." The little girl beamed at her and tugged her towards the couch.

"Kelly." Jenny murmured thickly, pulling the little girl closer to her. She cupped Kelly's cheek lovingly, stroking the rosy skin. "Kelly, baby, I have to leave."

Kelly frowned at her, not really understanding what she meant, "But you just got here." she pouted.

"I know, but I'll be gone for a little while. That means you have to be good for daddy, okay?" Jenny bit her lip. She could see that Kelly didn't really understand that she was leaving for good. It wasn't rare that she or Jethro had to go out of town on a case, and most of the time Kelly understood.

Kelly placed a hand on Jenny's cheek, smiling at her cutely. Leaning against her she kissed her cheek softly. "Don't worry, Jenny, I'll be here when you get back." It was something she'd heard when the adults said goodbye to each other.

Jenny hugged her tightly, taking in everything about her. When Kelly pulled away she handed her the doll. "You forgot this, thought you might want it back."

Kelly took _Strawberry Shortcake_ from her, she pursed her lips like her father sometimes did when he was thinking. Pushing the doll back into the older woman's hands she grinned at her, "Keep it, then you can think of me."

Jethro dug his nails into his palm, it was clear Kelly though Jenny would only be away for a few days. He had a feeling he wouldn't be seeing her for a while, or mainly his gut told him he wouldn't be seeing her at all. He briefly thought of Ziva, wondering if she'd be joining his team for a while.

"Kelly," Jethro cut in, "why don't you go up to your room and start putting away your toys." it wasn't a request but a quiet demand.

"But daddy." Kelly whined petulantly, sticking out her bottom lip and glaring at him.

"No buts, say goodbye and then go upstairs young lady."

Kelly widened her eyes comically and scrunched her noise at Jenny. Rushing into the woman's arms, she hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek, "See you soon, Jenny."

Jenny let Kelly go reluctantly, struggling to hold back the moisture in her eyes. For a fleeting moment she asked herself why she had become so emotional about everything. She watched as Kelly skipped to the stairs with Yoda prancing behind her.

Pushing herself up from where she had been kneeling on the floor, she dusted off her hands and looked at her watch. She had a couple of minutes left before she had to leave.

Jethro waited until he heard Kelly's footsteps thump into her room. He watched Jenny look at her watch and her eyes flick to the door. It was obvious she was looking for an easy way to escape a confrontation. Truth was, he wasn't going to let her leave without an explanation. Folding his arms across his chest he watched her closely, wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.

"I need to get going." Jenny said quietly, she took a step forward only to find Jethro blocking her way. She tried sidestepping him, but he blocked her again. Anger was starting to bubble inside her, she didn't have time for his games.

"Get out of my way." She growled at him.

"No," He stated matter of factly, he took a step forward and pinned her against the door frame, "not until you explain why you won't marry me."

"I've been reassigned. I'm leaving for France." She was cold as she spoke, finally finding the ability to bury her feelings. She saw Jethro's scowl darken.

"That's it?" He was tense, his entire body vibrating with anger. "You chose a reassignment over me?"

Jenny pushed against his chest, making him take a few steps back. This was her chance to ruin everything between them. Pulling herself to her full height, she squared her shoulders and made herself looking him straight in the eye. He'd taken a step back, his hands fisted in his pockets.

"I used you, you bastard. Can't you see that this wasn't real." She snapped at him, her voice rising in pitch. She saw his eyes darken with rage, his top lip curling in frustration. "I had to make sure I got this promotion. You were merely a means of securing the position."

"You're lying." He was on top of her again, his chest almost touching hers, he lifted his hand and he watched her flinch imperceptibly, "When you lie, your right eye twitches."

It was becoming too much to keep the tears in check and stop herself from losing it. The pain in his voice was too much to handle. She didn't know whether he was pretending to be this hurt, or if he truly felt like this about her leaving him. His eyes were bluer than she had ever seen them.

"Jenny, what aren't you telling me?" He murmured quietly. He'd be a fool if he denied that she was the greatest thing that had happened to him in the last few years. He'd never share it with anyone, but he had hoped that he had showed her how much she meant to him.

Jenny moved away from him, "Jethro, this was never going to work between us."

He frowned, "How can you say that? These last few months, they meant nothing to you?" anger was lacing his voice again.

Jenny wiped the tears that rolled down her cheeks, growing angry with herself. She had her back to him, she couldn't look him in the eye. Taking a shuddering breath she turned to face him, her emerald eyes sparkling with tears. She swallowed heavily.

"There are too many unsaid things between us."

"Let's talk about it right here, right now." He stepped towards her, "Jenny, I don't care if I have to wait for you."

Stepping back, she shook her head, "Jethro, why don't you get it." the anger was back, "This is never going to work."

Jethro slammed his hand against the door frame, his cheeks flushing with anger. He ran a hand through his cropped hair, pulling the dark strands painfully hard. "What do you call this?! You're telling me that the last six months meant nothing to you!"

Jenny slammed her own hand against the wall, her frustration bubbling over. "Of course it meant something to me! Hell, Jethro, I love you!"

"Then why are you leaving me?!" He shouted back, momentarily forgetting that Kelly was upstairs.

"Because _you_ don't love _me_!"

It was quiet again, the only noise coming from the TV and their quiet gasps for air. Jenny allowed her tears to fall freely, not even caring any more. She shook her head when Jethro simply stared at her. Looking at the doll in her hand, she sniffed and took a calming breath.

"I'll always love you." Jenny spoke quietly. She ran her eyes over him, memorising everything about him as he stood in front of her. She chewed her lip for a moment and then gave him a quivering smile. Reaching for the doorknob, she turned it and pulled it open, cold air hitting her right in the face.

Jethro took two quick strides, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. He pulled her back, wanting her to look at him. He couldn't remember a time when her eyes were greener than they were now, he saw how red her bottom lip was from all her biting. He touched a hand to her cheek, stroking the moist skin.

"I love you." He said hoarsely.

Jenny bit the tip of her tongue, shaking her head at him, her vision slightly blurred from all the tears. She pried her wrist loose from his grip and felt his hand slip to her neck, "Jethro, please don't do this to me."

Jethro grit his teeth, hating himself for allowing her to pull away from him. He watched as the tears rolled down her cheeks, and he fought the urge to let his own slip. She smiled at him as she slipped out the door and closed it behind her. They stared at each other through the oval window before she turned her back on him. Jethro listened as her car pulled out of the driveway, his heart pounding painfully hard in his chest, she left him.

Jenny Shepard was gone.

* * *

 _ **TBC**_

 _It might be sappy, I don't know. Will they survive? Guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter._

 _Your thoughts are welcomed :)_

 _Thanks for reading ;)_


	14. Redemption

_**Disclaimer:** _I don't own anything you recognize._ _Except for the mistakes those are mine.__

 ** _A/N_** **:** _As always_ _thank you for the lovely reviews,_ _they always make my day._ _The last chapter ended on a sad note, but hopefully I remedied it with this one ;_ _) I have also decided to write a few tags to this story so be on the look when they start popping up._

 ** _ **Warning:**_** _T_ _here's nothing too explicit._

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

The bullpen was quiet, at least more quite than usual for eight in the morning. Most agents moved around quietly, the two days they had off not enough to be as well rested as they'd hoped. Maybe it had to do with the bad mood team Gibbs was in. Tim looked up from staring blankly at his monitor, trying to see if Kate was as uncomfortable as him. It wasn't rare for Gibbs to snap at them, but the amount of anger in the older man's voice had made the youngest agent shrink behind his desk.

Tim surveyed the bullpen with a sense paranoia, hoping Gibbs wouldn't sneak up behind him. Tony didn't seem to be phased by the outburst at all, he'd even returned the boss' glare. Tim checked the time on the small clock on his desk, Jenny and Ziva were supposed to be in by now. Jenny was supposed to be here along with Gibbs, she usually was even if they had a case. Looking up he met Kate's large brown eyes, she was as paranoid as he was.

Kate motioned her head towards a brooding Tony, narrowing her eyes at Tim and demanding that he talked to Tony so they could find out what was going on. Tim shook his head at her discreetly, he was far more comfortable just toughing out their moody co-workers until the day was over. Kate cleared her throat pointedly and McGee cowered further behind his desk.

Tim's eyes darted to Tony, who seemed a little more distracted than usual. Kate cleared her throat again and glared at him to just ask the question and get it over with. They both jumped slightly when Tony dropped the thick file he had in his hands.

"Is there something in you throat, Kate?" Tony snapped irately as he listened to Kate clear her throat again.

"No, I was just… we were just wondering..." Kate motioned between herself and Tim, enjoying the way Tim squirmed in his chair, clearly far more uncomfortable than she was.

"Wondering what, Kate?" Tony growled at her. "Where the other two are? I thought you weren't interested in other people's lives."

Kate gave him an exasperated look, taken aback by the hostility he showed towards her. Tim seemed to be equally surprised. Tony was the one usually snooping and joking, seeing him as grumpy and unpleasant as their boss made the both of them want to know more. Kate put down her pencil, closing her sketchpad she moved away from her desk, McGee was purposefully avoiding any confrontation.

The Italian ignored her as she stopped in front of his desk, flipping through the file he had slammed down a few seconds earlier. Kate's scowl darkened, she wasn't sure she could handle both Tony and Gibbs in a bad mood. Placing her hands flat on his desk, Kate looked Tony straight in the eye.

"What is your problem, DiNozzo?" Her voice was low and threatening.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tony said flippantly, ignoring Kate as she glared at his bent head.

"This has got to do with Jenny and Ziva not being in today, doesn't it?" It was the only logical explanation there was.

Tony gave her a dark look and she took a step back, caught off guard by the raw emotion he had let slip. Taking a step forward again, she placed her hand over his resting on the folder. He looked up at her, his green eyes guarded again and his lips pressed together in a thin line. He looked over at McGee who was still hiding behind his computer screen, pretending he wasn't there.

"They left." He whispered more to himself than to Kate. He had accompanied Ziva to the airport, making good on her request to spend the day with her. He didn't even want to begin to think about what his relationship with Ziva had transpired into. The anger he'd felt towards Jenny had disappeared quickly when he had seen the state she was in. It was hard seeing a woman as poised as Jenny Shepard, quite literally heartbroken and in pain like he had seen her in the airport. Her eyes had been bloodshot and the little make-up that she'd worn had obviously been smeared despite her attempts to hide it.

He'd immediately directed his anger towards Gibbs. It somehow felt right blaming him, since he was the main reason Jenny had decided to leave, taking Ziva with her. He didn't have to think about what Ziva said about loving someone who didn't reciprocate the feeling. He'd seen Gibbs go though a relationship before, and that had been over before it even started. His relationship with Jenny had been significantly longer, and more serious if the failed proposal was anything to go by.

"What do you mean they left?" Kate looked confused, she didn't know anything about them leaving.

"They're not coming back!" Tony snapped at her, his cheeks flushing bright red.

"I was just asking, Tony." Kate bit back, pulling herself to her full height and glaring at him, "We're concerned, so excuse me for asking."

"We? You mean McGee has been sticking his nose in other people's business as well." Tony glared at the young agent as he hid behind his desk. He felt like snapping at everyone who wanted to nose into his business.

"Sorry, Tony, we were just concerned since you and Gibbs seemed to be equally, uhm…" Tim looked at Kate for help, but she simply raised her shoulders, "Upset."

Tony gave a mirthless laugh, the usual humour that surrounded him was missing. He nodded his head at both Tim and Kate raising an eyebrow, the look on his face somewhere between spiteful and angered. "Well, why don't you ask him why they left?" Tony growled tensely.

Jethro dropped his head against the wall behind him as he listened to his team, he knew Tony was blaming him for them leaving he'd seen it in his attitude towards him. He was blaming himself too, and his bruised ego was getting the better of him. He'd resorted to what he knew best, snapping at everyone so he could suffer on his own, he didn't need anyone, he and Kelly could manage on their own.

Taking a drink from his coffee, he stormed around the corner and into the bullpen, stopping at the corner of his desk and glaring at Tony. He could feel several sets of eyes on them, waiting to see what was going to happen next. Thinking better of it, Jethro shrugged his coat off and threw it over the bookcase. He glared at the sticky note on his monitor that had been stuck there by none other than the woman in his thoughts. Ripping the pink piece of paper off of his monitor, he dropped it in the trash can.

"Well, Kate, aren't you going to ask him?" Tony burst out, his frustration boiling over.

Jethro slammed his hand down on the desk, "There something you'd like to say, DiNozzo?" he stood from his chair rounding his desk and walking towards his senior field agent.

Tim looked at Kate who had backed away from the two men and was leaning against the divider. He didn't know whether to intervene or just leave them to sort it out themselves. There was one thing he was sure of, if he intervened he'd mostly likely be the first one to be knocked out.

"No, I don't have anything to say. But maybe you do." Tony snapped at Gibbs, his actions would have repercussions. It was something he had actually picked up from his boss, act first think later. He'd had enough time to think and the more he thought the angrier he became. His only reaction was to lash out.

Jethro balled his fists, his nostrils flaring with anger. He stepped forward and Tony took a step back.

"McGee," Kate hissed, suddenly standing right next to him. He jumped out of his chair, glaring at her for sneaking up on him, "do something."

"What am I supposed to do?" He hissed back, he didn't want to get between the two of them.

"Anything, and do it now before they kill each other." Kate whispered in his ear as the two men glared at each other.

Tim shuffled forward reluctantly, shooting Kate a glare over his shoulder for good measure. Swallowing he moved closer, catching a glimpse of Tony's face over Gibbs' shoulder. He didn't know whether he should make a stupid statement or just stand by to stop one of them swinging a fist at the other.

Jethro took a step towards Tony again, his fists balled tightly turning his knuckles white. He sensed someone behind him, not caring who it was he moved forward again, backing the young agent into the corner. It registered in the rational part of his mind that Tony wasn't at fault, he was merely caught in the middle. But he needed someone to fight with, consequences be damned.

"Special Agent Gibbs!" The voice had everyone watching the scene unfold look up at the catwalk. Jethro turned around slowly, his body tense with anger.

"In my office now! You too DiNozzo." The Director snapped at both agents, waiting for them to back away from each other. He watched the rest of the agency continue with their work, although some of them a little awkwardly.

Leon rolled his eyes and trudged back to his office, the regular bustle of the office returning. Throwing the door leading to his office open, he asked that he not be disturbed while he spoke to two of his agents. He could hear the heavy footsteps behind him, leaving his office door open he marched straight to his desk.

Leon grit his teeth as he heard Tony slam the steel door shut. He motioned for each of them to take a seat, he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes when Gibbs refused to take a seat, preferring to stand and brood. Fishing in his inside jacket pocket for a toothpick, Leon placed the piece of wood between his teeth. He was at a loss as to why exactly these two were acting like teenage girls.

Leon straightened in his chair, rolling the large leather seat closer to his desk, he rested his elbows on his desk and looked between the two men. Moving the toothpick to one side of his mouth he straightened his desk, "I don't appreciate some of my best agents disrupting the entire squad room."

"I wasn-"

"I don't want to hear it agent DiNozzo." Leon interjected quickly, he didn't have time to listen to him ramble. Looking at Gibbs he narrowed his eyes slightly, "Agent Shepard and Officer David have orders. Now if the two of you can't accept that, I might have to ask you to take a day's unpaid leave, do I make myself clear?"

"Short notice." Tony mumbled, Ziva hadn't known anything before hand.

"What's that?" Vance snapped tensely.

"DiNozzo," Jethro growled, when he looked at him he shook his head at him, the last thing he needed was Vance nagging him about keeping his team in check.

"They would have left regardless of the time they had to prepare." Leon said irately

Tony rolled his eyes, he wasn't any closer in dropping his attitude, "Can we go?"

Leon nodded, shooing the young agent away. "Not you, Gibbs." Leon abandoned his seat, closing the door behind Tony once he was well out of earshot. Leon rested his hand on the cold silver handle for a while, contemplating how much he could ask without giving too much away. Something felt off about Jenny's hiatus from undercover work, and he wanted to know what had prompted her to jump right back into it.

Turning back he simply raised an eyebrow at Jethro and motioned for him to sit down once again. It looked like he was picking up right where he had left off before the brief few days off. He'd received confirmation that his agents had landed safely in France and that they were being briefed. He waited until Gibbs took a seat in front of his desk, before moving to his own chair.

Easing back in his chair he watched Gibbs closely. Leon took the toothpick out from between his teeth, the piece of wood already starting to splinter as he chewed it. Dropping it in the trash can, he clasped his hands on the desk.

"I take it you are aware of the nature of Jenny's mission." Leon raised an eyebrow, his dark brown eyes knowing.

Jethro shrugged his shoulders, his face an emotionless mask. He didn't even know what Jenny was doing in Europe, he wasn't even aware that Ziva had left with her, he was just preparing to find her a spot on his team. He felt frustration claw at him on the inside, it wasn't his fault Ziva had gone with Jenny – it had been her own choice. He dug the tips of his fingers into the armrest of the chair, he needed to keep his head on straight.

"Do you know why she waited almost a year before taking another Op?" Asking Jethro was a last resort, he was taking advantage of the man's personal relationship with Jenny to gather information. When Gibbs didn't answer, Leon tried a different approach, "She tell you why she was going to Europe?"

Jethro tightened his hands on the armrests, "Leon, the woman left! I don't know what she's up to."

Leon looked at Gibbs in surprise, slightly taken aback by his sudden outburst. He could see the anger radiate off him as he fumed silently in his chair.

"What if I told you I find it strange that she waited this long before going on another Op."

Jethro's eyebrows knitted together. He hadn't thought much about it, he was too caught up with what had happened between him and Jenny right before she left. All he could think of was the tears and pain in her eyes as she pleaded with him to let her go. It was strange and the twinge in his gut made him sit forward, it brought back the issue of why she had simply walked away from being a lawyer – it was unlike her to do something like that.

"There's not much I can do, Leon." Jethro dropped his hands from the armrests to his lap. It was becoming clearer that he didn't actually know a whole lot about Jenny. The thought made him reflect more internally, wondering if he had preferred not knowing more about _who_ she was, or if she had been successful in keeping him away from actually getting to know her. The whole situation came back to trust, and for some reason she didn't trust him enough to confide in him.

"Gibbs?" Vance drew him from his thoughts, he cleared his throat and looked at Leon, he'd missed half of what the director had said.

"I trust that you'll be able to give me an answer." Leon pulled a file towards him.

"You want me to invade her privacy?" Jethro sounded almost umbrageous. Given his relationship with Jenny, it felt wrong to dig through her past to see what skeletons he could dredge up. Briefly it occurred to him that, if he hadn't known her or didn't have a relationship with her, he might have dug around in her past the first chance he got. What did that say about him?

"Not in that many words." Leon frowned, put off by the agent's sudden change in demeanor, Gibbs usually jumped at the chance to gain some information. "Since it is a problem, I'll ask agent DiNozzo." He knew it was only a matter of either leverage or blackmail to get Jethro to do what he needed him to.

"No." Jethro snapped sitting forward in his chair, it was enough that he'd already been asked to snoop. The last thing he wanted was someone else finding something they shouldn't, especially DiNozzo. He would know what to do if he found something, after all he did know her or so he hoped. "I'll do it." Jethro said gruffly as he stood from his seat, indicating that their conversation was over.

Jethro grit his teeth as his knee popped the moment he started walking. The Director's voice halted him before he could storm out of the office.

"Jethro," Leon ran a hand across his face, "I'm not looking for inconsistencies." he let out a tired sigh, "The woman has a death wish, and I want you to stop her _before_ something happens."

The atmosphere in the bullpen was crackling with tension. Everyone had watched Tony and Gibbs storm up to the Director's office and then a few minutes later watched as Tony returned alone. Tim watched Tony through narrowed eyes, waiting for the next inevitable rant, that's how he usually dealt with something that bothered him.

Tim scribbled his signature on his report, all he was waiting for was for the back elevator to ding. He'd taken the courtesy of calling Abby and summoning her up to the bullpen, because she could wrangle info out of anyone. Looking over at Kate, he knew she was bouncing her knee in anticipation of what might happen next. They were all just waiting for someone to tell them what the hell was going on.

The back elevator dinged. The clomping marched purposefully toward the bullpen, the slightest hint of panic evident in the quick strides. Abby rounded the corner, her hands on her hips, she didn't appreciate a near frantic phone call from Timmy this early in the morning. As far as she knew, they hadn't caught a case, meaning none of them could be hurt.

Abby scanned the bullpen with narrowed eyes, glaring at each of them. When no-one paid attention to her, she stomped her foot in frustration. The glare faded as she reached for one of her pigtails to twirl it around her fingers. Stomping her foot she scowled at Tim, "Timmy," she said exasperatedly, "why did you call me up here?"

Tim gave Tony a sideways glance, waiting for him to snap. Looking back at Abby, he pointed towards his down trodden co-worker. Abby gave him a strange look, he rolled his eyes pointing at Tony more aggressively, he silently willed her to talk to him.

The forensic scientist pouted slightly as she skipped to her friend's desk. Perching on the edge of his desk she glared at him until he couldn't ignore her any more. The frown deepened when she saw the conflict in his green eyes, she knew he tried hard to hide his emotions but he hadn't mastered the art of keeping his feelings out of his expressions.

Placing a comforting hand on Tony's she dropped her voice to a whisper. "Tony, what's wrong? Is it your dad?"

Tony shook his head. He caught Kate's gaze and she seemed to be worried about what was coming next, he doubted Tim had thought about Abby's reaction when she found out. Placing his other hand over hers he gave her a tight smile, knowing that she'd most likely overreact, it was best he told her before someone else did. He briefly thought of letting Gibbs tell her, but he doubted the older man would offer her comfort since he seemed to be in need of his own.

"Senior is just fine, Abs." Tony licked his lips, "Jenny and Ziva are in Europe, they have been reassigned, they left last night."

Tony let go of Abby's hand as she pulled away, her green eyes already brimming with tears. He saw the confusion on her face and he knew that she was expressing what they were all feeling. It wasn't uncommon for agents to be transferred without any warning, but Jenny and Ziva were more than just fellow agents, they were family.

"What?" Abby looked at Kate, "No, they can't just leave! They didn't even say goodbye."

"Abby, they had orders, I don't think they had much of a choice." Kate said softly, hoping to calm Abby down.

"They had a choice." Tony grumbled quietly, catching them off guard. He didn't want to accept the fact that Ziva had chosen her partner over him, but it was reality and if he had been in that same position he might have done the same. It was just easier to blame Gibbs, but he seemed to be taking it harder than he had expected, although he didn't actually show it.

"DiNozzo!" Abby snapped through her tears. They were all staring at him confused.

Tony let out a heavy sigh, checking the catwalk to make sure that Gibbs wasn't standing there. He narrowed his eyes, for the first time wondering whether he should share this with his team mates or not. It was better they knew the truth before all sorts of rumours started popping up. He wasn't exactly sure what it was like to be turned down almost immediately after a proposal, he just knew it wasn't as hard as finding out a day before the wedding. He did, however, have sympathy towards him.

"They didn't have to take the mission. They could have turned it down." Tony pursed his lips, something was bothering him about all this.

"Why did they go?" McGee broke through his thoughts, looking as perplexed as the rest.

Tony shrugged his shoulders. It was still puzzling him, Wendy had accepted his proposal even though it had taken him significantly longer to actually tell her he loved her. Although, he wasn't a single father and he did actually talk to the people around him instead of glaring.

"You know why, don't you?" Kate said almost accusingly. She knew he knew what had happened, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a scene earlier.

"He proposed, but she turned him down." The collective gasp coming from the women made him roll his eyes. He heard McGee's soft murmur of 'ouch' and nodded at his colleague, something like that could bruise any guy's ego, no matter how emotionless they could appear.

"Poor Gibbs." Abby uttered softly as she nibbled her dark bottom lip in thought.

"Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed as the man in question sauntered around the corner. She threw herself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug that could choke the breath right out of him. The insistent tap on her back made her loosen her grip, she smiled sheepishly when he stared at her a little red-faced.

"If you're quite done, DiNozzo," Jethro growled as he turned towards his agent, "get back to work."

Abby bounced after Gibbs as he walked to his desk, "You know, Gibbs. Just because Jenny turned you down doesn't mean _we_ don't love you. Maybe she had like a lot on her mind or she's like really confused about what she wan-"

"Abby!" Jethro snapped roughly, maybe a little too roughly. He dropped his head at the hurt look Abby gave him. Closing his eyes he shook his head.

"Gibbs." Abby's lower lip quivered slightly, "I..."

"Just leave it okay, Abs?" Jethro asked gently, he didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but the looks he'd been receiving ever since stepping out of the Director's office were starting to grate on his nerves. Abby nodded and moved around to give him another hug, which he returned. He motioned for Tim to accompany her back to the lab, since he seemed to be the most concerned about her.

"I'm sorry, Boss." Tony spoke once everything had calmed down around them. He frowned when Gibbs simply shrugged at him, not even looking up from staring at nothing on his desk. He'd hoped for a quote on what rule 6 was, or even a head slap could have sufficed. He saw the concerned look Kate gave him and he ignored her. Things were going to be tense for a while.

The rest of the day seemed to pass in silence, no-one breathed a word about the desks being cleared next door. The tension had been even harder to bare as the day progressed, they had all wished for a case that would give them at least some form of a break. They were all feeling on edge and snippy, because the countless questions about why _they_ were missing were starting to get on everyone's nerves.

Dusk was starting to settle over the city brining snow along with it. Tim glanced out the large windows, hoping that he'd still be able to go home at a reasonable hour. He was feeling more nervous than usual being the only one left in the squad room while waiting for Gibbs to return from wherever it was he had disappeared to. He'd been surprised when Gibbs had asked him to stay behind, he was hoping it was for good reason that he had to wait.

Tim smacked his lips as he looked around the quiet room. He was trying not to think about why he was still here, instead he tried finding a way he could bring the latest development into his book. The ding of the elevator had him sitting up straight in his chair.

Jethro placed a coffee cup on the corner of McGee's desk, nodding towards it. He grumbled at his probie's surprised thank you and took a seat at his desk. He flipped the file on his desk open and scanned through it.

McGee took a drink from his cup, even more surprised that his boss actually knew how he drank his coffee. Placing the cup back on his desk, he waited for Gibbs to tell him why he had to stay behind. There was no indication that he was going to say anything.

"Uh, Boss..." McGee said hesitantly, "There a reason I had to stay?" at the glare he received he swallowed heavily. "Of course there is."

Jethro slammed the file shut and switched off his desk lamp. Pulling on his coat he made his way to Tim's desk, leaning against the desk he drank from his Styrofoam cup, "There a way you can pull a file from that Internet thing you do?"

McGee frowned but nodded his head regardless, "Um, yeah sure, what is it you want?" he switched on his computer monitor. Pulling up the appropriate search engine, he looked up at Gibbs.

"A personnel file, need some background information." Jethro cleared his throat. He rolled his eyes when McGee's eyes widened slightly, "Nothings going to happen, McGee. Just… can you do it or not?"

Tim hesitated for a moment but gave a sharp nod. "Who am I looking for?"

"Jennifer Shepard." Jethro took a drink from his cup.

Tim's eyes widened slightly, but he typed in the search anyway. "There anything you looking for in particular, Boss?"

"Family, her father's side. Know her mother, nothing interesting there." Jethro said gruffly. He trusted McGee to keep the information to himself.

Tim tried to hide his curiosity. He found it more than just strange that he had to look up Jenny's family, she must have told Gibbs about them somewhere in their relationship. Keeping his questions to himself he sifted through all the files until he found the right one.

Jethro ran his eyes over the screen scanning the information. He stopped reading and moved back up the page, reading over the name again.

Colonel Jasper Shepard.

He straightened and frowned, trying to remember why it sounded so familiar, Jenny had never mentioned her father's name.

" _Mike?"_

" _What Probie?" Jethro paged through his notes trying to find the page with the name of the Colonel._

" _You know an Army Colonel… Shepard, I think?"_

" _Army Colonel?" Mike slapped Jethro on the back of the head, "You're a Marine. What you askin' about the Army for?"_

 _Jethro rubbed the back of his head tenderly, that last hit seemed a lot harder than the others he'd received over the last few months. There wasn't any particular reason for him actually asking, just something about the man seemed to draw his attention._

" _He's some big shot at the Pentagon." Mike growled as he blew smoke into the air once again, shaking his head, "Now stop asking questions before a make you walk back to Head Quarters."_

McGee stared at Gibbs with wide eyes. He'd been calling his name for the last minute and he still didn't get a response. "Boss!"

"What, McGee?" Jethro bit back a smile as the young agent jumped slightly.

"Should I print this?"

"No, find Colonel Jasper Shepard's file and print that." Jethro could see the worry in the kid's eyes but he did as he was told. It was a good place to start since Jenny refused to talk about him.

The search for the Colonel's file hadn't taken too long, and after he had assured McGee that this was in a sense _legal_ he had printed the file that he'd found after hacking into the CIA. He'd sent McGee on his way, he didn't want to get home too late and miss spending some time with Kelly. She had been upset when she had realised that Jenny wasn't there.

Jethro rolled his neck from side to side, his eyes burning with concentration, there were a few files he had to sign off on before doing anything else. The house was quiet despite the toddler and dog sprawled out on the couch. He dropped his head in his hands, he'd been able to distract himself the whole day, but the moment he stepped through the front door the weight of the situation came crashing down on him.

She hadn't been in the kitchen busy baking something or making dinner. His bedroom had been void of her clothes laying around or her handbag thrown haphazardly on the bed, with its content spilled over the sheets. There had been no tender kiss the moment he'd come through the door, the warmth and peace had seeped out of everything the moment she'd walked away.

Jethro shook his head, pulling at his hair. He felt someone watching him. Looking to his right he looked straight into a pair of sad blue orbs. Sitting up straight he pulled Kelly onto his lap, cradling her against him. He pushed a few stray curls off her forehead, pressing a kiss to her temple he cuddled her against him. He frowned when she didn't smile or kiss him back.

"Honey," He whispered softly, wiping her cheeks as a few tears escaped, "are you missing Jenny?"

Kelly gave him a nod, unable to speak as she sobbed. Burying her face in his chest, he held her close. He felt his heart break all over again as her tiny body shook as she cried, she didn't understand why she couldn't see Jenny, or even talk to her over the phone. He had never really thought about how attached Kelly was to Jenny, he'd also never thought that she would be walking away.

"Daddy," Kelly whimpered as she struggled through her tears. She wiped at her cheeks, trying to stop the tears from coming. Her lower lip started to quiver again, and more tears rolled down her cheeks. Pressing her small face into her father's chest, she wiped her face on the soft material of his sweatshirt. Jethro adjusted Kelly to sit up, patting her back softly as she snuggled into him.

"Daddy, can we call Jenny?" Kelly took a shuddering breath, looking at her father hopefully.

Jethro grit his teeth, touching his finger to the tip of her nose he smiled at her a little sadly, smoothing her hair down he cleared his throat, "Kel, honey," Jethro took a deep breath. Lifting Kelly onto the table, he made sure she looked him in the eye as he tried to explain.

"Kelly, we can't call Jenny. She left for another country." Kelly's brow knitted together as she listened to her father.

"We always call Jenny when she goes away." Kelly pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Jethro sighed dropping his head against Kelly's knee gently. He needed to dig deep to find the strength to stay calm and explain everything in a way Kelly could understand. It was more painful than he thought it would be, whether it had to do with the unexpected way everything had ended or the fact that he couldn't see something was wrong between them– he didn't know.

"Kelly, Jenny left last night. We can't talk to her any more, she doesn't want to talk to us." Jethro could see the frustration cloud his daughter's eyes, she wasn't understanding and he didn't know if he could explain it in a simpler way.

"Liar!" Kelly accused meanly, her lower lip jutting out, "She's coming back, I told her I'll wait for her." Kelly twisted away from her father, preferring to look at something other than him.

Jethro let out a frustrated sigh and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, and glaring at noting in particular. He was finding it hard to direct his anger at something, he tried more than once to hate Jenny but he couldn't do it, maybe because he knew he could never hate her – but he sure as hell was angry with her. The things she said, about using him and the secrets they kept from each other didn't bother him as much as it should.

What got to him was the fact that she thought he didn't love her, it had sucker punched him right in the gut. He was probably being a little too melodramatic about it, but it had caused his thoughts to run in all directions.

"I want Jenny," Kelly whined, her eyes brimming with tears again, "Daddy, bring her back!"

"She's never coming back!" Jethro snapped before he could think. He ground his teeth together as Kelly looked at him in shock, she glared at him through her tears and manoeuvred herself off of the table. "Kelly, I'm sorry." Jethro frowned when Kelly simply ignored him and thundered back to the couch.

He listened to her sob quietly, occasionally hiccuping through the tears. Yoda was whining softly as she cried, trying to find the source of her distress. He hadn't meant to take his frustration out on her, but his patience had been worn thin though the day. Looking down at his feet he saw Yoda walk towards him, his usually pointy ears drooping a little. The terrier looked up at him and barked, looking towards the couch where Kelly was laying and barking again.

Jethro pulled himself to his feet. Kicking a few stray toys out of his way, he dropped to his knees in front of the couch, placing a comforting hand on Kelly's back. He felt rather than heard her groan of displeasure, and let her pull away from him. He was at a loss with what to do. He poked her side softly, knowing she'd squirm around because it tickled.

"Daddy, no." Kelly squirmed away from him, trying to hide her smile. Sitting up she frowned at him, crawling towards him she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Sorry, Daddy."

Jethro held her close, "I know you're upset, honey." he rubbed her back softly.

"Did Jenny go away because of me?" Kelly hiccuped again.

Jethro pulled away, looking at her almost confused, he lifted her chin so she could look at him, "Kelly, I want you to understand that this isn't your fault." he brushed the few stray tears off her cheek. "Jenny loves you very much. We're just in the middle of something right now."

"Is she coming back?" Kelly's eyes lit up in hope that the redhead would return.

Jethro gave her a tight smile, he couldn't promise her that Jenny would come back when he knew there was almost no possibility of that happening. He pulled his face slightly and shrugged, he'd rather not answer her. "We'll talk about it later, okay?"

"Okay." Kelly huffed dejectedly. "I just miss her."

Jethro nodded and pulled her back into his embrace, letting her cry against his shoulder.

He sat with her for a while, both simply drawing comfort from the other. Jethro watched the cartoon characters as they raced across the TV screen. Kelly was quiet, far more upset than he'd thought she was. He sighed again. It was the first time there was anyone in their lives resembling a form of stability for them. Jenny had been – in a rather clichéd way – the motherly figure Kelly never really had.

There was no doubt that Jenny loved Kelly, he'd realised that when she had dropped by unexpectedly just so she could say goodbye to Kelly. He wondered briefly if it had anything to do with her childhood, having seen her mother walk away, maybe she thought that saying goodbye changed the fact that she was walking away. Then again, Kelly wasn't her child – he was merely hoping that she hurt as much as he did.

Hoping? It definitely said something about how much of a bastard he really was. Jethro rubbed his forehead in annoyance. Of course he hoped she was in pain. She was forcing him to face himself in the mirror and ask whether he had actually _done_ something to make her stay.

Someone had to know of her agenda to just walk away from everything they had tried to build over the last few months. Ziva would know but she wasn't here.

Noemi. She'd most definitely know about Jenny leaving, and since she hadn't stormed through his front door demanding to know where she was, he could only assume that she had been a part of this.

Jethro listened as Kelly's breathing evened out slowly as she started dozing off. Grabbing the fleece Marine blanket on the back of the couch, he bundled her inside it and lifted her to rest against him. Switching off the TV, he moved back to the dinning room. Pulling the printed file out of his backpack, he narrowed his eyes, contemplating whether he wanted to invade Jenny's privacy or not.

The basement light flickered on, the stairs creaking with each heavy step he took. Jethro threw the Manila folder on his workbench not too bothered about the papers scattering over the worktop. Kelly groaned as she was disrupted from her sleep.

Jethro clenched his teeth as he bent down to yank the sheet off of the old couch that had found its way into the basement. He felt his knee ache as he laid Kelly down, his restlessness last night was starting to catch up with him. Smoothing Kelly's hair out of her face he kissed her forehead and left her to sleep.

The silence was deafening – something he had once cherished, now felt strange. There used to be footsteps, noise, laughter – her laughter. Jethro rolled his eyes at himself, everything kept reverting back to _her_. He was no closer in accepting that he had played the key part in her leaving, the way he saw it _she_ didn't love _him_.

Shaking the thought off, he moved back to his workbench, glaring at the disarray of papers he gathered them in the right order and placed them back in the folder. Looking around the basement, he pulled one of the many saw-horses towards him. Kelly mumbled behind him and he froze momentarily, glancing over his shoulder he made sure she was still asleep.

Pulling the top page of the file towards him, he scanned through the information meticulously. It wasn't a surprise that Jasper Shepard was dead, Jenny had told him that. The cause of death, however, made him do a double take. His brow creased in a frown.

Suicide – it would explain why Jenny never really talked about him. From what he could gather he knew the Colonel had been in Vietnam, making PTSD the first thing that came to mind. He knew what it was like watching the men who had become his brothers die right in front of him.

The year of death corresponded with the same year Jenny had joined NCIS. They had to be related, he'd seen the fire and determination with which Jenny worked – she was too goal driven to just drop everything. He pulled the photo McGee had stapled on the inside of the file loose.

"She has his eyes." He whispered to himself. He studied the photo a little closer, he could just make out the hints of red tint in the Colonel's grey hair.

Jethro pulled the rest of the papers towards him, hoping to find something. Jethro stilled for a moment again, tilting his head to the side, he could have sworn he heard something. He tuned out Kelly's shallow breathing, focusing instead on the other sounds around him.

 _Operation Lodestone_

He had never heard of it before. Checking the time on his watch he tried to work out the time difference between Washington and Baja, he was sure Mike knew something about this. Jethro traced the orange circle that sat around the face of the watch. He knew she still wore the necklace he had bought her, and he wondered if she clung to it the same way he clung to his watch.

The floorboards creaked above him.

Yoda barked somewhere upstairs and growled at whoever wandered inside the house at this time of the night. Jethro abandoned his spot on the saw-horse and moved towards the staircase. He was halfway up the stairs when Tony came into view on the landing, a growling Yoda latched onto the leg of his jeans. Jethro relaxed marginally, casting a quick glance over Kelly he motioned for Tony to keep quiet.

"Can we talk, Boss?" Tony whispered loud enough for Gibbs to hear.

"Yeah, let me just take Kelly upstairs."

Tony watched as Gibbs picked Kelly up and made his way back up the stairs. Taking a slow breath he looked around the basement, he hadn't been down here in a while. He could still remember the first time he had ventured into the basement when he had just started at NCIS. Back then the progress on the boat had been slow, Kelly had just turned two at the time.

Admiring the boat for a moment, he turned his attention to something else. He moseyed towards the workbench, trying to find the bottle of bourbon that usually stood near a mason jar or can. He really needed a drink if he wanted to talk to Gibbs. The file that lay open caught his attention quicker than the open bottle of bourbon sitting on the edge of the workbench.

There was a frantic yap from somewhere in the basement the moment he tried to touch the file. He narrowed his eyes and scanned every dark corner of the basement. He liked the dog, but not when he was trying to chew his leg of, or made a noise when he was trying to snoop through the Boss-man's things. Yoda barked again when he touched the file.

"Shh." Tony hissed as Yoda kept barking, he didn't need Gibbs killing him, because he was more than sure no-one would ever find him if he did. Tony dropped the paper in his hands and glared at the dog as he emerged from one of the dark corners. "What is your problem?"

Yoda tilted his head to the side and yapped, this time a little more friendly. The Boston eyed him for a moment before he started wagging his tail, waiting to be petted by the familiar face. The dog snorted as he rolled onto his back and waited for Tony to scratch him.

Tony rolled his eyes and bent down to pet the dog before he chose to chew on his jean again. Scratching Yoda under his chin, he smiled when the dog snorted in contentment clearly enjoying the attention. He stopped only to have Yoda bark at him again, he glared at the dog as he whined and wriggled around on the cold cement floor.

"No, go away." Tony snapped at him light-heartedly. Yoda growled at him menacingly. Tony took a step back, taken aback by the dog's sudden change, he briefly wondered if Gibbs had taught him to growl whenever he didn't get what he wanted.

"Yoda." Jethro growled as he trudged down the stairs, slower than he usually did, he hoped that gritting his teeth would make the pain a little more bearable. The dog gave him a pleading look, ignoring him he snapped his fingers and pointed towards the couch. The dog's ears drooped as he walked towards the couch and curled up on the cushion, eyeing Tony's every move.

Jethro watched his senior agent shift around uncomfortably, avoiding looking at him. He didn't know what he was doing here, they hadn't spoken to each other ever since he had left Vance's office. He'd heard Tony's conversation with the team as he told them about his failed proposal, he didn't know if he was supposed to be embarrassed or just down right pissed off.

Grabbing the bottle of bourbon, he filled his mug with a generous amount of whiskey and a mason jar which he handed to Tony. Taking a large drink, he enjoyed the way the alcohol numbed his lips and burned down his throat. He scraped his throat softly as he looked at his boat, his mind somewhere else.

Bourbon reminded him of Jenny. Fiery, warm – intoxicating – and always making him want more.

The thought of her accompanied with bourbon dredged up vivid memories that were so fresh, it was actually too painful to think of. Licking his lips Jethro took another drink of his bourbon. Tony had moved away from him, choosing to stand close to the boat.

"You here for a reason, DiNozzo?" Jethro looked at the young man as he moved around the boat aimlessly.

He could hear the wheels in the Italian's head turn as he thought of some cocky answer. There was a moment of silence before his slow footsteps picked up again.

"Thought you could use the company." Tony took a sip of bourbon, pulling his face slightly at the bitter taste, but he took another sip none the less – he could use some Dutch courage.

Jethro scoffed and turned back to his workbench, closing the file and pushing it underneath some tools that lay around. The sarcasm he had expected was lacking. He leaned against the steel table, watching Tony's every move as he grappled with whatever he wanted to say.

Tony tuned around, retracing his footsteps around the boat. He tried to trace his footsteps exactly as they lay in the sawdust. He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it, he didn't know why he was here. He had found himself parked outside Gibbs' house and he'd eventually ventured inside.

"Tony," Jethro growled, growing impatient with his silence, "just say what you want to say."

Tony's head snapped up and tilted to the side. If he hadn't know any better he could have sworn Gibbs sounded tired. The anger inside him reared it's head again and he fought against the urge to blame him for this whole situation.

"Why did she leave, Gibbs?" Tony downed the rest of his mason jar, finally used to the strong whiskey.

Jethro narrowed his eyes, glaring at Tony, "You should have asked Ziva herself, not me." he turned his back on him, pulling the bottle of bourbon towards him. He filled his mug almost to the brim before downing half of it. He squeezed his eyes shut as it burned down his throat.

"You know that's not what I meant." Tony placed his jar on the workbench, leaning his hip against it, he regarded his boss quietly. "Why did Jenny leave?"

"None of your damn business." Jethro snapped, taking a step towards Tony.

Tony swallowed, he wasn't sure whether Gibbs would actually hit him or not. Going against his better judgement, he stood his ground. Meeting the other man's cold blue eyes, he tried grasping onto the feeling of confidence he felt, "I made it my business when I saw her in the airport."

When Gibbs turned away from him, Tony relaxed fractionally, he didn't know why he was doing this. "She looked pretty heartbroken for someone who just walked away."

Jethro spun around, his face hard and his eyes guarded, "She _chose_ to walk away, I didn't force her to leave, she makes her own decisions."

Tony ran a hand through his hair, "I bet you didn't even wonder why she left you." he snapped arrogantly, the alcohol giving him the guts he didn't know he had. He took a step back when he saw Gibbs ball his hands into fists, he had over stepped and he wasn't exactly sure what would happen next.

"And you do." Jethro stated sarcastically.

Tony considered saying yes, all he really knew was what Ziva had told him other than that he didn't know much. Moving away from Gibbs he chose to stand near the boat, a good distance away if he did decide to attack him. "Gibbs! You _let_ her walk away."

"She wouldn't stay!" Jethro shouted at Tony, his patience finally snapping. He was tired of hiding how he felt, tired of keeping the anger inside him. "She wanted to leave," Jethro let out a heavy breath, fisting a hand in his hair he glared at Tony, "maybe I can't give her what she wants. You ever think of that?"

Silence fell over them.

Tony shifted from one foot to the other, "But she isn't Kelly's mom." he spoke gently, knowing it was a sore subject. He'd always thought that Gibbs had loved Kelly's mother unconditionally, and it was evident in the way Joann spoke about him and her daughter.

Jethro dropped his head, squeezed his eyes shut. Everything always came back to Shannon. "No-one will ever be her." Jethro said hoarsely.

"Maybe that's why Jenny left. She knows you don't love her." Tony moved behind one of the ribs of the boat, trying to put as much distance between him and Gibbs.

Jethro ran his finger over the rim of the mason jar, he clenched his jaw tight enough to cause his teeth to ache. Gripping the mason jar he hurled it against the wall, sending shards of tempered glass flying everywhere.

Yoda barked and shot across the basement towards the stairs.

Tony took that as his cue to leave. Slipping his hands in his pockets, he touched something wet and hard. Pulling the chewed black box out of his jacket pocket, he popped it open, admiring the beautifully cut emerald inside. Holding to chewed box out towards his boss, he placed it next to him on the workbench, "Dog was chewing it when I came in."

He gave Gibbs a tight smile and trudged towards the stairs.

"DiNozzo," Jethro scrubbed a hand over his face, his body relaxing slightly as he looked at Tony who stood halfway up the stairs. "I love Jenny."

"Then fight for her, Gibbs."

* * *

Spending New Year's Eve in a cramped attic across the harbour hadn't been the most memorable way to spend the beginning of a new year. Ziva shivered at the memory as she made her way down the long hallway of their hotel. Those two days – in what could only be described as an ice box of an attic – were well behind them. It was safe to say that those had been the worst two days of any Op she had ever been a part of – on second thought not really.

Being emotionally detached from everything was drilled into everyone who joined Mossad – it was why her mother had left her father he had become emotionless. However, NCIS operated differently, and it was glaringly obvious in the horrible mood her partner had been in for the last ten days.

Jenny hadn't said a word since they arrived in Paris a couple of days ago. They had a few days to themselves, a way for them to enjoy some freedom before they were forced to be someone they weren't. The Israeli shivered again, for some reason Europe felt colder this year round. Pushing away the thoughts of someone who'd be able to keep her warm she padded across the red carpet towards the room she was looking for.

Their rooms were on two different floors, a way for them to stay inconspicuous. Pulling a duplicate key out of her pocket, she pried the door open slowly – not entirely sure what she'd find on the other side.

Ziva squinted her eyes trying to make out what was going on in the dark room. She sidestepped a few suitcases that had been thrown carelessly in front of the door. She glared at nothing in particular, hoping Jenny wasn't passed out somewhere in the large hotel room. She doubted her partner had been drinking, she preferred to torture herself by reliving everything and wondering what she could have done differently.

Ziva's boot clad foot connected with something heavy and hard, kicking it across the room only to have it collide with something that shattered instantaneously.

"You break it, you replace it." Came the alto growl from somewhere in the dark room.

Finding a switch, Ziva flicked it one, revealing a broken glass table and a heap of grey. Giving the broken table a murderous look she ignored it and turned her attention to her partner, who had wrapped herself in a large grey blanket.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" Ziva asked, scanning the room to find any evidence that she had been drinking. She didn't receive an answer, only a growl that wasn't nearly as threatening as it should be. She narrowed her eyes at the pair of green eyes staring back at her from under the grey blanket.

"Light hurts my eyes." Jenny ground out before snuggling further in her blanket and resting her head on the back of the couch.

Ziva looked at the two picture frames that lay next to Jenny on the couch and picked them up. She felt a smile of her own grace her lips as she stared at the little dark haired girl as she grinned at the camera, the smile reflected on Jenny's face as well. The other one had Gibbs with them in the photo, and Ziva doubted she had ever seen Jenny or even Gibbs smile so brightly. Placing the frames on the armrest she dropped onto the couch.

"You want something?" Jenny asked thickly as she sniffed.

"Have you had something to eat?" The level of concern in the Mossad Officer's voice could take any one by surprise. She had seen the worry in Tony's eyes when they saw Jenny trudge through the empty airport towards them. Since their arrival in Marseille she had seen her partner revert back to the woman she had come to know, emotionless.

Ziva pursed her lips slightly, not entirely sure if she liked the change in Jenny. She became careless and gambled her life for the sake of a mission. There was only one person who could break through her defences, but she doubted she'd be able to get a hold of him, the last she'd heard from Tony his boss was almost unbearable to work with.

"If you're here to lecture me, then I suggest you leave." Jenny said thickly before sneezing. She reached for the box of tissues next to her. Those two days in the attic had done nothing but give her a cold.

Ziva rolled her eyes, not sure whether she could deal with a sick Jenny. Pressing her lips together tightly, she fell back against the couch, lolling her head to the side she looked at Jenny, "You have to talk about it."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you, Miss I-don't-talk-about-my-feelings." Jenny bit back and pulled the blanket tighter around her. She didn't want to talk about it, she was no closer to admitting that she might have made a mistake.

Leaving Jethro the way she did haunted her every time she closed her eyes, she could see the pain in those blue eyes as he watched her walk away. When he had said he loved her, she had thought that he might have meant it, but she didn't believe him. He would have said it only if it meant she would stay instead of walking away. It didn't mean she wasn't hurting, she was simply ignoring it until it eventually became too much.

"I know you are upset, and if you don't want to talk about it with me, then maybe you must talk to someone else." Ziva said primly, not bothered with what Jenny had said.

Jenny gave her a growl but it changed into a moan. "Ziva just drop it, and leave me alone."

"No, I will not."

"Why are you so insistent?" Jenny raised her voice, but regretted it when the pounding in her head intensified. She groaned and curled into the couch, hoping Ziva would just leave her alone.

Ziva pushed herself back to her feet. "Because I care, and I think that you were stupid about just walking away." The Israeli clenched her jaw and started spacing the small space. "You left everything because you are scared. Scared that someone might actually care about you."

"You talking about me, or yourself?" Jenny cracked an eye open to look at Ziva as she moved around the small sitting area. Pushing her blanket away from her, Jenny rubbed her eyes slightly, hoping to force the pain away. She reached for the delicate gold necklace, running her thumb over the emerald.

"I did not walk away."Ziva retorted coldly.

"But you could have stayed." Jenny coughed and looked at her friend, "I never said you had to come, you chose to come with me."

"I was watching you back."

Jenny smiled at her tiredly, "You were afraid of what was happening between you and Tony." pulling the oversized sweatshirt tighter around her she felt a sudden need to be close to Jethro. "He was your safe place and you were terrified you wouldn't be able to go on without him."

"Now who are we talking about?" Ziva asked jokingly, her brown eyes dancing slightly.

Jenny gave her a poor attempt at a smile. She really didn't feel like having company at the moment, she was sick and feeling more sorry for herself than she cared to admit. She could see Ziva's impatience and frustration roll off her as she marched around silently.

"Why are you here, Ziva?" She asked again.

"I am meeting a friend for two days, she asked to see me."

Jenny nodded her head, gathering the thick blanket in her hands she pulled it around her again. There was brief flash of annoyance in Ziva's eyes, but whatever she had wanted to say died on her lips. The Israeli whispered a soft goodbye before slipping out the door, leaving Jenny alone once again.

Crawling to the other side of the couch, Jenny took the two picture frame from where they were on the armrest. She ran the tip of her finger over Jethro's smiling face, trying to remember what it felt like to touch him. She wiped at her cheek angrily, not impressed that she still cried about walking away, she had hoped that after a few days she'd be able to move on.

She missed Kelly, her life was significantly emptier since there wasn't a little girl around. She missed the early morning snuggles and the storybooks she had to read at night. She wondered if they missed her the same way she missed them.

There was only one person she could talk to, someone who might be able to tell her how to cope.

Standing to her feet, she padded across the thick carpet avoiding the shards of glass that lay everywhere – she should have made Ziva pick them up. Making her way to the small table, she picked up the phone trying to remember what the number was. She thought about placing the phone back in its cradle, but someone answered before she could do it.

"Angela," Jenny said a little hesitantly.

" _Jenny, what a wonderful surprise."_

Jenny closed her eyes, "Yeah, uhm, are you still in Italy?"

" _No, I'm in London, why is something wrong?"_

"Think I can drop by? Only if you're not busy." She rolled her eyes at herself, she sounded stupid. She listened to her mother talk non-stop about picking her up from the airport and then finally saying goodbye. She knew the enthusiasm lacking in her voice was overshadowed by her stuffy nose.

Sliding down the wall to the floor, she closed her eyes against the sting of tears. Dropping her head against the wall she felt the pain shoot through her skull. Lifting the sweatshirt up to her nose, she inhaled deeply smelling him all around her.

This time she didn't stop the tears rolling down her cheeks.

* * *

The bustle of Heathrow airport reminded her of Dulles as she made her way through the crowds of people. Gritting her teeth, she pushed through the sea of people, trying to keep her cool as they bumped into her. This was a bad idea even before she had thought of it. Her body ached and her eyes hurt, digging in her coat pocket she found the over used tissue she'd been relying on.

Wiping her nose quickly, she soldiered on. Adjusting the bag on her shoulder she dodged a group of tourists and tried to catch her breath. There were a number of reasons she hated being sick, and the shortness of breath was one of them. She should have stayed in her hotel room like she had planned, not take the first flight out of Paris to London.

She tried scanning the crowds of waiting people for her mother. The strain of trying to find the right brunette was starting to give her a killer headache. A whistle caught her attention, looking around she spotted her mother waving her arms in the air like some lunatic. Jenny felt her cheeks flush slightly and she ducked her head as she made her way towards Angela.

Angela didn't waste any time in enveloping her in a tight hug, Jenny cringed slightly as she felt her body protest, she really needed some painkillers. She returned her mother's greeting numbly, trying to push everything out of her mind for time being.

"I was expecting Jethro and Kelly to be with you." Angela said excitedly as she ushered her daughter out of the airport. She had been surprised by the phone call for an out of the blue visit.

Jenny shook her head, not willing to collaborate that she'd never see the two of them ever again. Angela seemed not to take note of her thoughts being elsewhere and simply continued on with idle conversation, talking enough for the both of them.

The drive from Heathrow to Holland Park had been far too short for her liking. Jenny shivered as she waited for her mother to unlock the door to the posh home. It occurred to her that she might have been so close to her mother numerous times during her stay in the UK without her even knowing it. She stepped into the house, listening to her mother ramble on about making them some tea.

Jenny dropped her bag near the stairs, she'd take it upstairs once she felt like it. All she wanted to do was curl up and sleep with Jethro right next to her, keeping her warm. She tried to roll her eyes at herself, she seriously needed to cut back on the amount of trashy romance novels she read. All she really needed was a good night's sleep and a healthy dose of _Ibuprofen_.

"Jenny?" Angela called from the kitchen.

Pulling the wool cap off her head, she let her red locks free and made her way to where she heard her mother's voice.

"Sit, relax, you look like you can use it." Angela smiled at her daughter warmly as she rummaged through one of the kitchen cupboards. Finding what she was looking for she slid the bottle towards Jenny, "Take two, you'll feel much better."

Jenny popped the lid of the bottle and took two pills, not really caring what it was she was drinking as long as she felt better. Her mind wandered back to Kelly, wondering if she had caught a cold or not, she had been determined to ward off any colds by feeding the poor kid enough vitamins to last her a year. She smiled to herself, hearing Kelly moan about all the pills.

"Jenny?" Angela called again. She gave her a strange look, wondering where she had just been. She'd noticed that Jenny had been distracted from the moment she had seen her in the airport. "I wasn't aware that you were in Paris."

"Work." Jenny answered, not willing to divulge the nature of what her work actually entailed. Jenny pulled the steaming cup of tea towards her. Taking a slow sip, she hummed in appreciation, there was nothing like tea to make her feel better.

"How long are you here in London?" Angela couldn't keep her excitement at bay, she was looking forward to spending a day or two with Jenny.

"Few months. Where's Julio and the twins?" Jenny asked quickly, hoping to get her mother off the topic of why she was in London. She wasn't exactly sure why she had chosen to visit her mother, now that she was here the last thing she wanted to do was talk about her past and how she probably made the same mistake.

"They're in Italy, Julio should be back by next week. How long is a few months?" Angela pressed, she could see right though Jenny's attempt at changing the subject, she was used to three boys trying to hide what they had been up to. She watched Jenny's eyes widen imperceptibly before looking up and shrugging her shoulders, not answering her question.

Angela smiled to herself, shaking her head she took a seat next to Jenny. Stroking her daughter's thick red hair, she tucked a strand behind her ear so she could see her face, placing a soft hand on her cheek she made Jenny look at her.

"I don't know if you know this, but when you lie, your eye twitches." Angela smiled when Jenny gave her shocked look that was quickly replaced with a scowl, upset that she gave herself away. "You want to tell me why you're really here?"

Jenny rested her elbow in the counter, dropping her forehead in her hand. "I needed to get away for a couple of days. Clear my head."

"Has something happened between you and Jethro?" Angela asked tentatively, careful not to push her. She knew Jenny had a short temper and that she wouldn't hesitate to snap and shut down, she was just like her father in that aspect.

Jenny frowned, she suddenly had an urge to just breakdown and cry until she didn't have any tears left. She wondered what exactly her mother had given her to drink because she could feel herself starting to loose control.

"Mom," The word slipped out before she knew it and her head snapped up suddenly, looking at her mother with wide eyes. She hadn't really thought about what she was saying, she'd always seen the woman as _Angela_ and not as her mother.

Angela placed a hand over her mouth, it was something she hadn't heard from her daughter since the day she had left.

"Uhm… do you think I can lay down for a few minutes, I think a might be a little jet lagged."

Angela nodded at her daughter. Sliding off her chair she placed both hands on Jenny's cheeks, giving her a watery smile. Dropping her hands to Jenny's shoulders she pulled her into a hug, holding her close for a moment. There was something bothering her, but she'd wait until Jenny decided to talk to her.

Snow fell silently outside her window, covering everything in a thick layer of white. She'd been awake for the last half an hour, listening to her mother move around downstairs. Jenny tangled her fingers in the delicate chain around her neck, cradling the emerald in her palm. She'd thought about giving it back to him, but she couldn't find it in her to part with it.

A phone rang somewhere in the house and she listened to her mother's hasty footsteps. Letting out a heavy sigh, she pushed herself up on her elbows. The headache she had been struggling with had at least disappeared for time being, she still ached all over but she couldn't stay in bed all day.

Stretching, she swung her feet off the edge of the bed, pulling her bag towards her with a toe too lazy to stand up. Zipping it open she pulled out the red hoodie, running her hand over the yellow letters she smiled sadly and pulled it over her head.

Following the soft music she found herself right outside Julio's study, where her mother was curled up in one of the leather armchairs. Looking around the room she was reminded of her own study back home. There were various novels lining the bookshelves, and she assumed by some of the titles that they were mostly her mother's. It dawned on her that she had inherited her mother's love for romance novels.

Stepping into the study she traced her fingers over the spines of the books, there were a few she recognised and other's that looked like they were worth the read. Abandoning the books she dropped into on of the chairs and curled up in it, watching her mother read. She remembered the exact same thing as a child, content to just watch.

"There's something enchanting about them, isn't there?" Angela looked up from her book as she spoke. Slipping her bookmark between the two pages, she closed it and looked at Jenny as she sat across from her.

"It's a delusion." Jenny said coldly as she looked out the window, her mind some place else.

"To some, but it doesn't mean happiness doesn't exist." Angela watched Jenny carefully, trying to gauge whether she could push her or not.

Jenny snorted and rolled her eyes, if they'd had this conversation twelve days ago she might have agreed with her mother. Stifling a yawn, she shook her head and turned away from the window preferring to look at the flickering flames. They were silent for a while.

Jethro had been her happy ever after, despite the fact she never really believed in fairytale endings. Somewhere the edges of reality had blurred for her. Her father's death had been somewhere in the recess of her mind, preferring not to think about it while she was wrapped up in what could only be described as a whirlwind relationship. It was only ever going to crash around her, everything always did.

She retraced the last few months trying to remember where she had lost sight of what was going on in her life. It must have been the first time he had kissed her, or it was before that – maybe it had been the moment she had realised that he was as broken as she was. Looking over at her mother, she propped her chin on her hand looking at the older woman thoughtfully.

"Did you regret walking away from my father?" Jenny watched the soft smile on Angela's face go away, only to be replaced by a somber look.

Angela took a deep breath, "Almost everyday, it's hard for a mother to walk away from her child, I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

Jenny shook her head, slightly frustrated, "No, I mean my father, did you regret leaving him?"

Angela shook her head, twisting her wedding ring around her finger. "When you're in a destructive relationship the only thing you want to do is walk away." Angela crossed her legs, pulling her sweater around her a little tighter, "You left Jethro."

Jenny narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Angela smiled, although a little sadly this time. She'd had seen the adoration the two people had for each other, it was what every mother hoped her children would find, she knew first hand what it was like to pretend everything was fine when it really wasn't. "What happened?"

Jenny grimaced, not sure she wanted to tell her mother that she had been the one to end things.

"He's been married before." Jenny could see the look on her mother's face was anything but surprised, "I guess it's kind of obvious that he was." when her mother just raised her eyebrows she allowed herself to smile.

"Is she back in the picture?"

"She never left." At the confused look she collaborated, "She passed away a month after Kelly was born."

"Then why-"

"He still loves her, I can't be in a relationship with someone who clings to the memory of their dead wife. Neither can I be with someone who doesn't love me." Jenny interrupted, the anger in her voice rising.

Angela shook her head, "That's not what I saw the few occasions I saw the two of you together." moving forward in her chair she placed a hand on Jenny's knee, "That man loves you."

Jenny shook her head, she didn't want to hear that, it just made her realise that she had potentially made a mistake. Could they have worked through this, reached a point where they told each other about the secrets they kept? Or would everything have culminated to a point where they drove each other apart and hurting not only themselves but Kelly as well. She'd made the right decisions and she was sticking to it.

"It never would have lasted."

"Nothing will last if you don't _work_ for it." Angela sighed in frustration, "Jenny, I have been married for twenty years. Believe me, a relationship takes work and commitment. It wouldn't be called love if it were easy."

Jenny glared at her mother. "You're making me feel worse." She wiped at her eyes, trying to force the tears away. She wasn't going to tell her mother that she was more concerned about clearing her father's name than working on a relationship.

"There's more to this than just Kelly's mother, isn't there?" Angela sat back in her chair, eyeing her daughter closely. She had noticed that Jenny hadn't been completely honest with Jethro herself. The fact that he had been surprised about what she had done before joining NCIS had made her realise that.

She herself had been caught off guard when one of Jenny's former colleague's had phoned her and told her that she had left the firm. As a mother she had certain speculations, and one of them had to do with Jasper. His suicide had been sudden and a shock, despite the fact she hadn't seen him in years or even spoken to him. It must have torn Jenny apart knowing he had ended his life.

"Jasper's death still haunts you." Angela had a hard look on her face, the impact his actions had had on their daughter had angered her beyond belief.

"Mom, please don't?" Jenny pleaded quietly, she was close to cracking.

"Jenny," Angela said a little louder than necessary, "you have a choice of ruining your life over something your father did that you can't seem to accept." softening her voice she continued, "Or spending it with someone I know truly loves you."

* * *

They sat silently side by side, watching the activity in the snowy park. Both occasionally smiling as the children raced through the snow only to fall down and make individual snow angels. The park had been a last resort, going against their better judgement and letting the two toddlers burn off some energy by chasing each other in the snow. The silence, however, was a very unwelcoming atmosphere.

Noemi shifted on the cold bench, trying to keep the blood flowing through her before she froze. Kelly raced passed them giggling as she looked over her shoulder to see if Kyle was chasing her. The little boy scampered to his feet, stumbling through the snow until he found his balance. Noemi smiled, trying to remember a little redhead in the same park looking apprehensive about mingling with the others.

The surprise when Jethro had showed up at the town house looking like he hadn't slept in days had surprised her. In fact the phone call she'd received from Jenny just before she left, telling her to pick up her car and not speak to Jethro had brought up all sorts of questions. Respecting the young woman's wishes she had avoided any chance encounters with Jethro up until he stormed into the old mansion demanding answers.

Answers she didn't have. Jethro knew more about Jenny's sudden departure than she did, all she knew was that it was work related. The shock of hearing that Jenny had ended things had actually made her angry to say the least. Noemi narrowed her eyes, she had watched Jenny not only throw away her dreams but her chance at happiness as well. If things continued like this she was pretty sure Jenny would throw away her entire life.

It was one of the many puzzle pieces that Jenny Shepard was made up of. No-one knew what she was up to until it blew up in her face or she succeeded in her goal. Noemi shook her head slightly. Yet again Jenny had thrown away the one good thing that had happened to her since Jasper's death. She just hoped Jethro would be able to stop her before she ruined her life.

Joann shifted next to Noemi, blowing on her hands and keeping a close eye on the two toddlers running around. "Have you heard anything from Jenny?"

"No, I do not even know where she is."

Joann pressed her lips together tightly, she had mixed feelings about this whole ordeal. When Jethro had first told her that Jenny had left, she had immediately blamed him – since it seemed like the only thing he ever did was push people away who cared about him.

The anger with which he had lashed out towards her had reminded her of those few days she had spent with him right after he had returned from California. He tried to hide his hurt and pain behind the anger he directed towards everyone, and the only person who could calm him down was Kelly.

She had reached a point where she refused to pass judgement on who the guilty party was. They were both equally guilty, Jenny for walking away and Jethro for allowing her to leave. What angered her was the pain they had put Kelly through, she knew that it was unavoidable, but Kelly was silently suffering from not understanding why she couldn't see Jenny. And she knew her granddaughter's questions were a painful reminder to Jethro of what happened.

"This is all so..." Joann trailed off not exactly sure what she wanted to say.

"Unnecessary." Noemi supplied silently.

Joann gave a soft laugh. "Yes, it sure is." They lapsed into silence again, it wasn't long before Joann turned her attention to the woman next to her, "I don't want you to think that I'm blaming Jenny for all of this, but there must be a reason she left."

Noemi shrugged her shoulders. She had become good friends with Joann over the few months of occasionally watching after Kelly as well, she knew that it was only in her friend's best interest that she asked. "Jenny's been running ever since her father has died. She had just dropped everything and joined NCIS, perhaps she wanted to get away from all the memories."

"Jethro does the same." Joann said thoughtfully, casting a quick glance around the park and making sure the two kids hadn't wandered off. "Personally, I think he's terrified of loosing someone like he lost Shannon." Joann bit her bottom lip to fight off the emotions, "I still worry about losing Kelly everyday, but you can't cling to the past and what the ifs for the rest of your life."

"I wish I could have told Jenny that before she made the decisions she did." Noemi watched as Kelly and Kyle raced around the swings, both laughing.

"I doubt either of them would have listened." Joann laughed.

Noemi smiled and shook her head. She knew Jenny would have simply rolled her eyes and blundered forward until one day realising that she should have listened. "I thought that this would be Jenny's reason to stay here, to stop whatever it is she's busy with."

"Jethro is a very difficult person, as sweet as he sometimes can be – he can be a real pain in the ass."

"All we can hope for is that they find a way to talk to each other." Noemi said softly.

Kelly giggled as Kyle threw a handful of snow at her, scooping up the cold ice in two hands she hurled it towards him. He shivered as the flecks of snow melted and ran down his neck into his jacket.

Kyle scooped up a handful of snow rolling it into a ball like his father had showed him and threw it at Kelly. He gaped at her as she sidestepped the flying ball of ice and started running again. Letting out an almost frustrated groan he set off after her.

Kelly ran for the security of her grandmother and Noemi, knowing Kyle wouldn't throw anything at her when she was between the two older women.

Joann watched as Kelly started running towards her. She stumbled in the snow a couple of times but quickly found her footing again. Kyle was still a good distance behind her, trying to catch up. Kelly was steadily drawing closer as she raced across the park.

It happened before either of them could blink or form a coherent sentence of warning. Both older women watched as one of the wooden swings repelled backwards as a strong gust of wind forced it to move. Kelly was still laughing when the sharp corner of the metal bracket on the swing slammed right into her forehead. The blood curdling scream had both women jumping to their feet and rushing towards a screaming Kelly.

The snow was stained crimson by the time they reached Kelly. Kyle was standing to one side, petrified about what was going on. Joann lifted Kelly's head trying to see the size of the gash in the little girl's forehead. The worry set in quickly when she felt Kelly's hair was almost completely wet with blood.

Noemi handed over her scarf in order to stem the blood coming from the wound. "The nearest hospital is here in Georgetown." Noemi helped Joann pick Kelly up before she swung Kyle on her hip, trying to keep him calm as well.

"Miss Noemi, is Kelly going to be okay?" Kyle croaked softly as he held onto her for dear life. Neither of the older women answered him.

* * *

The hammering in the forefront of his skull was a good indication to just how tired he really was. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a good night's sleep, actually he could but he tried not to dwell on that. His nightmares had started back up again, leaving him sweaty and in a tangled mess of sheets and blankets. He usually found himself propped against a yellow wall, watching his daughter sleep in the dim light of her night light.

The nightmares were all the same, he'd stumble onto the same gruesome scene – watching his friends and fellow marines splutter on their own blood. Just before he could assess his surroundings everything would change and he would be left holding someone in his arms – but the face has changed, he no longer stared into a pair of pale blue orb. Instead he found himself looking at a pair dull emeralds as she stared lifelessly back at him, her alabaster skin painted with smears of blood.

" _Jenny,"_ He choked on his own words.

The loud thud caused his eyes to snap open. The bustle of the bullpen infiltrated his skull causing the hammering to intensify. He fought against the yawn that threatened to escape, he should have known that the vivid imagery was the recurring nightmare. Sitting up he ran his tongue over his teeth, trying to piece together when exactly he had fallen asleep, his team was present meaning they had returned from lunch.

Jethro let out a heavy rush of air, looking around the bullpen to find where the sudden noise had come from rousing him from another nightmare filled sleep. McGee was typing diligently on his keyboard, desperately trying to avoid eye contact. Kate was keeping herself busy with something – they were all suffering from having nothing to do. Tony was doing the same, paging through a case file and then poking at his keyboard. Jethro rolled his eyes, if he had just continued doing nothing then he wouldn't have known he had been responsible for waking him up.

Jethro glared at the young Italian until he squirmed in his chair and finally looked up. They stared at each other for a moment, each waiting for the other to look away. Jethro inclined his head slightly, avoiding looking at him again once he dropped his gaze. He wondered if he had talked in his sleep, given his team's uncomfortable looks he most probably had.

Jethro placed a hand over his eyes, rubbing them roughly. Blinking a few times the blurriness faded, smacking his lips he caught sight of the tall Styrofoam cup left on his desk by one of his team. The scalding liquid burned his mouth all the way down his throat, they hadn't been back long if the coffee was still that hot.

"McGee," Jethro licked his lips, savouring the bitter brew, "you get that thing I wanted?"

He'd heard Tony's indignant squawk when he had mentioned McGee's name, a clear indication that DiNozzo had brought him the coffee.

Tim gulped for a moment, trying to remember what Gibbs was talking about. Over the last few days he'd hacked into the CIA at least twice to find something that was above his security clearance. He pulled his face in concentration. Something in his brain clicked and he raised his eyebrows in realisation.

Unlocking his top drawer he found the brown envelope he had place the papers in. Sliding it in a Manila folder he got up and gave it to his boss, trying to keep it as unnoticeable as possible.

"Jeez, McGee," Jethro rolled his eyes as the probie nervously handed over the file, attracting more attention than necessary.

Tony craned his neck, trying to see what McGee handed over to Gibbs. He was sure that it had something to do with the file he'd seen on his workbench about a week ago. They had all noticed recently that he was distracted and silently working through a file that none of them had received a copy of. The only person who seemed to have a clue what was going on was McObvious, Tony glared at him as he skulked back to his desk.

"Mind your own business, DiNozzo." Jethro growled from his desk, knowing that Tony would probably corner Tim in the elevator sooner or later. He just hoped that he had enough guts to keep his mouth shut and not blab to Tony what he was up to.

Pulling the thick stack of papers out he scrunched the top page. He glared at the redacted paragraphs, there were a total of three words visible, none of them giving any indication of what the file was about. "McGee!" He snapped irately.

Tony snorted as he heard McGee's audible gulp.

"Next page, Boss." Tim stammered as he looked at Gibbs with large eyes.

Jethro scrunched the second page as well. There was no evidence of redaction on the page or the rest of the file. He gave his geeky agent an impressed look.

"Don't ask, Boss." Tim murmured quietly.

Jethro shrugged. He didn't really care where Tim had found this, he'd bail him out if he ended up in lock-up. Taking another sip of his coffee, he eased back in his chair settling in to read through _Operation Lodestone_.

A phone call late one night to Mike Franks had given him more than he had bargained for. He'd learned something about Jasper Shepard that he doubted even Jenny knew. The grumpy old man had told him that the Colonel had been involved in various Arms Dealer rings, tasked by the CIA to make sure the weapons didn't fall in the wrong hands – hence the grand office in the Pentagon.

He was about halfway through the stack of papers when he stumbled across something that made him question his ex-lover's motives.

There had been numerous speculations on whether the Colonel's death had been self-inflicted or a conspiracy. He knew about the bribery, it had been on the second page of the file. The Frenchman who had been responsible for the supposed _'_ _under-the-table'_ money had disappeared the exact same day Jasper had been killed.

Jethro's brow creased in thought. Jenny leaving for France had been a shock, but after what Leon told him about her year absences from undercover work, everything started to make sense. He knew Jenny well enough to know she'd delve into this consequences be damned, it was just who she was and it was the same thing that he liked about her. But there was no hard evidence that this was a set-up, unless she knew something others simply preferred to overlook.

The more he delved into this the clearer it became as to why Jenny had left everything behind her for a career with a federal agency. He knew what she was going through all too well, for the last three – almost four – years he'd been struggling with the same demons she had. Although his sense of revenge had long since dissipated into a form of dull pain, he knew what it was like to be haunted.

The admission that he really did love Jenny made him realise – that like with every other relationship he didn't tell her the truth about what had happened to Shannon. He simply told her some form of truth and she had never pushed the subject any further. All the while she was more attuned to how he felt than he had thought.

He needed to talk to her, explain to her that despite the aching need to serve justice it didn't matter in the long run, it only caused more harm than good. It didn't matter whether she would consider the possibility of working on what they had started – he just couldn't sit around only to wait and watch her life crumble around her. Kelly had been his saving grace, the one person who had made him fight through everything.

There was nothing he could say or do for Jenny to offer her comfort, but he'd be there for her when she crumbled.

The ring of his desk phone jolted him back to reality.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

Everything blurred together as he listened to Joann's frantic voice telling him to get to Georgetown University Hospital. He'd ended the call before she had a chance to tell him what had happened. All he could remember was his team's concerned looks as he stood and moved around – on what felt like autopilot. Once the shock had registered, things speeded up again. He'd found himself rushing down the stairwell heading for a federal plated Dodge.

Jethro felt his heart kick violently in his chest as he weaved through traffic, his throat constricting with each swallow. Various scenarios flashed through his mind, all of them ending with Kelly taken away from him. The uncertainty of not knowing what was going on was the only thing that made him think rationally to an extent.

Pulling into an open spot, he didn't even care about the fact that the keys were still in the ignition.

The unfamiliarity with the hospital unnerved him, he couldn't see Joann anywhere and he didn't know exactly which way the emergency room was. He swivelled around aimlessly trying to find someone who was willing to help him. Running a hand through his hair he looked at the different boards indicating the direction of each ward. He shot down a long corridor, following the directions the boards gave him towards the emergency room.

Jethro burst through the doors, his blue eyes frantically searching for a familiar face. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a nurse leave her post at the desk and march towards him, ignoring her he looked around the waiting room. The gentle touch on his shoulder had him spinning around.

"Can I help you?" The nurse asked calmly, already steering him towards the reception desk.

"Kelly Gibbs, her grandmother brought her in, I don't know what happened." Jethro growled at the woman in front of him.

The paralysing fear was keeping him from boiling over. He never expected something to happen while Kelly was with Joann, even the thought seemed unreal. It was so different from when DiNozzo had looked after her, he could blame him for being irresponsible – but even that had been an accident.

"Mister Gibbs, your daughter is being treated in room three. Down the hall second door on the left."

Jethro threw a quick thank you over his shoulder and charged down the hall, scanning the doors for the number. He took a deep breath and pushed through the right door, mentally trying to prepare himself for whatever he might find on the other side.

Jethro stopped in his tracks.

There was blood, and a lot of it, Kelly's sweater was stained red and her hair was matted to her head. Jethro balled his fists, knowing his hands were probably shaking with fear, he felt his muscles jump as he clenched his hands. He didn't know whether the ringing in his ears had to do with anger or panic, but he couldn't hear a word Joann said as she told him to take her seat next to Kelly on the bed.

He sunk down on the hard hospital bed, placing a large hand on Kelly's back, he watched as the doctor continued to close the gash in Kelly's forehead. The thick smell of the coppery blood reached his nostrils and he came back to reality, the anger overshadowing the fear.

"What happened?" Jethro asked darkly, his voice low as he struggled to stay calm.

Looking up, he finally acknowledged the other people around him. He saw young Kyle hide his face in Noemi's coat, and he briefly wondered if the kid was okay. Looking between the two older women he darkened his glare, growing impatient with their lack of a response.

"She was running and the swing hit her." Joann said thickly, "There was no way we could have stopped it."

"Was there someone on the swing?" There were various scenarios running through his mind of how this could have been worse.

"No," Noemi answered this time, adjusting Kyle on her lap she rubbed his back soothingly, "they were chasing each other and the wind picked up. It happened before we could warn her."

Kyle slid off Noemi's lap, his wet boots squelching on the linoleum floor as he took small hesitant steps towards Jethro. The little boy's long brown hair flopped with each step he took, his dark eyes growing in size as he looked up at his friend's father.

Jethro looked down as he felt a tug on his slacks, he watched Kyle lean against his knee – the boy's large brown eyes boring into him.

"Sorry, mister Gibbs. I didn't want to hurt Kelly." Kyle whispered softly.

Jethro ruffled the boy's hair, giving him a faint smile. "Wasn't your fault." Kyle nodded solemnly and hoisted himself onto the high hospital bed. Wriggling around he made himself comfortable between Jethro and Kelly and held Kelly's hand in his. Jethro gave the boy a strange look but left him.

"That should do it." The doctor looked up from taking off her gloves, "I'm not too concerned about an infection, the wound was relatively clean. She shouldn't experience a lot of pain, if she does bring her back or take her to her paediatrician. The stitches need to stay in for about two weeks, after that bring her back here just so I can see how it healed."

Jethro thanked the doctor and watched her leave the room. He looked over at Kelly, gritting his teeth painfully hard when he counted nine stitches on her forehead. He knew that as soon as the local anaesthetic worked out of her system she'd be complaining about the pain. Looking up he saw the two older women a little more at ease since knowing Kelly was all right. Checking his watch he decided that he'd just go home instead of going to the office with Kelly.

"Daddy." Kelly whimpered softly and reached out towards him. Standing to his feet, he helped Kyle off of the bed and swung Kelly onto his hip. The fact that she had been so quiet had scared him, but he assumed the shock had been too much for her to cope with. He felt her small body shake with quiet sobs, he pressed a kiss against her head, not caring about the blood.

Kyle seemed to wander around the room curiously looking at all the equipment, Jethro placed his free hand on his shoulder and steered him towards the door. The last thing he needed was for the boy to injure himself as well. Joann pushed passed him, already on the phone with Kyle's mother, holding the door open for Noemi he gave her a small smile as she slipped out the door into the busy hallway.

Jethro took a deep breath as they headed down the hall towards the exit. "Noemi," He spoke softly, "have you heard from her?"

Noemi shook her head, the sadness in her eyes enough to tell him that she was as concerned as he was. Making sure Kyle was still close by, Jethro looked at Noemi, "I need to ask you something."

The Hispanic woman raised an eyebrow, "I can only assume it has to do with Jenny."

Jethro stopped, standing off to the side to allow people to pass them by. He adjusted Kelly against his shoulder and placed a hand on her back for comfort. He looked down the hall, almost paranoid that someone might be listening. He saw Joann explain what had happened over the phone and made sure Kyle hadn't disappeared.

"It's about Jasper Shepard." He watched the older woman's eyes widen almost in disbelief, only to be replaced with sadness.

"Jenny never told you about him." It was a statement, she knew Jenny very rarely mentioned her father – to anyone. It was only logical that he went digging through Jenny's life – and she was glad that he had.

"No, but I have questions." Jethro shifted from one leg to another, "Who found him?"

Noemi tilted her head back, raising her chin, "Jenny, she found him about an hour after it happened." she took a deep breath. Casting a glance around the busy hospital she stepped closer, "Jethro, I might not know much about what he did, but there was no way that man did, what he had been accused of."

Jethro's brow knitted together, he couldn't ask anything else since Joann had finished her phone call. He inclined his head towards Noemi in thanks and excused himself, wanting to get Kelly home and cleaned.

The running water and abundant smell of lavender was soothing on his nerves and it seemed to calm Kelly down enough to get her to undress. He'd found the bottle of bubble bath in one of the bathroom cabinets, left behind by none other than Jenny. Jethro helped Kelly undress, hoping to get the blood off of her.

Placing Kelly in the large tub, he watched as her tiny shoulders slumped forward, the warm water relaxing her. It wasn't long before the clear water and white bubbles started changing colour as the dried blood started coming off. Jethro supported Kelly's neck as she leaned back in order for him to wash her hair, scooping a hand full of water he watched as it ran red as he poured it over her hair. His throat constricted and he tried pushing everything out of his mind.

He suddenly missed Jenny, knowing that she would have tried to keep him calm while silently worrying herself to death. He scowled a little as he poured shampoo in his hand – wondering when he had become such a sap. He missed Jenny and knowing she was halfway across the world busy with something that was dangerous made him rethink a few things he had done over the last few months.

"Ow," Kelly whimpered as her father rinsed the shampoo out of her hair.

Jethro grit his teeth, silently apologising as tears rolled down Kelly's cheeks.

They were stretched out on the recliner, Kelly was snuggled warmly into her father's side content to cuddle with him for as long as possible. Jethro pulled the fleece blanket tighter around them, holding Kelly protectively as they watched an old western. He had rushed through bath time, hoping to get her out of the tub and dressed before she got moody and angry.

Jethro shook his head as he thought about what had happened. The amount of blood had worried him more than anything else, but as soon as she was cleaned up and tucked safely against him he had finally relaxed. It felt cruel, but he hoped Kelly had learned her lesson in steering clear of the swings, since he had told her the same thing countless times before.

Kelly yawned and turned the uninjured part of her face into his chest. Since Jenny had left, he had found Kelly wandering into his room at all hours of the night, sometimes refusing to even sleep in her own bed. She had stopped asking questions about why they never heard from Jenny any more, but he knew she was missing the redhead as much as he was.

Yoda snored and kicked his legs, fast asleep and dreaming in his basket. Jethro reached down and stroked to dog's shiny coat, grinning when he barked and kicked again. The snoring stopped and Yoda jumped up, his pointy ears perked and listening for something.

"What is it?" Jethro looked on as Yoda moved around restlessly in his basket, he yapped and tilted his head to the side.

The front door swung open and clumsy footsteps found their way into the foyer. Yoda shot out of his basket, barking at the intruder threateningly. Jethro craned his neck, trying to see which one of his team had found themselves on his doorstep tonight. He was pleasantly surprised to see McGee appear around the corner.

Tim shivered slightly the chill of the night air still coursing through him. He was relieved when Yoda stopped barking and relaxed heading for his basket again. Hanging his coat up he pulled a rolled up file out of one of the pockets. Running a hand though his hair to get the snow out of it he entered the warm living room.

"Sorry to just drop by, Boss." Tim stopped next to his boss' chair, waving at Kelly. He had worried along with everyone else when Gibbs had told them what had happened.

"It's fine, Tim." Jethro motioned for the young man to sit but he shook his head. It intrigued him that Tim had dropped by he had expected Abby or Kate, but not Tim.

"I found this right after you left." Tim handed over the rolled up file and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Jethro rolled the rubber band off of the file. Smoothing the papers open he frowned when he saw the _Army CID_ logo printed on it. He looked up at Tim, wondering what it was he had found. "What's this about?"

Tim looked away from Gibbs, watching the film on TV. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks, "Uh… A gut feeling." he tried his best to sound sure of himself but there was still some uncertainty there.

Jethro gave his youngest agent a proud smile, "Where'd you find this?"

"A hidden compartment in the CIA's server, something tells me they didn't want whatever was inside to be seen."

Jethro narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering what else he'd be finding in this file. "Good job, Tim."

"I better get going before Abby starts calling me." At the glare he quickly explained himself, "She invited me to a benefit concert for one of her friend's and-"

"McGee," Jethro said exasperatedly, "go before she does call." he shook his head as he watched Tim nod awkwardly and try to avoid the toys on the floor as he made his way back to the foyer. He almost tripped over his own feet but stopped himself just in time.

"Oh, Boss, someone called this afternoon."

"They'll just have to call again." Jethro spoke quietly, trying not to wake Kelly. He gave Tim a nod as he waved goodbye.

Turning the volume down on the TV, he grabbed the rolled up file. They'd had a few joint cases with _Army CID_ but he hadn't thought about an internal investigation into the Colonel death. He adjusted Kelly on his chest, making sure nothing touched her stitches. He settled in the recliner and rested the file on his thigh.

The first few pages were simply an explanation of what the Colonel did for the CIA, none of it giving any indication of why the file had been hidden. Jethro scraped his throat softly, he was growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of anything substantial enough that would prove Jasper Shepard didn't take a bribe.

Paging through the file he came across an additional stack of papers that had nothing to do with the Colonel's death. It looked like a report of some sort written by none other than Jasper Shepard. Jethro tried sitting up enough without bothering Kelly. Finding the first page he hoped he'd find something that would shed some light.

He'd barely started reading when the house phone started ringing. Jethro rolled his eyes, he wasn't looking forward to a case. Reaching for the phone on the small table right next to him, he cleared his throat and tried to quell the need to snap at whoever was on the other side.

"Gibbs." He answered quietly, fleetingly wondering if it might be Joann checking up on them.

" _Shalom, Gibbs."_

Jethro sat up, holding Kelly tightly against him. He took a deep breath, he didn't want to ponder what it meant that Ziva had called him while undercover. He felt his heart sink, hoping she wasn't the bearer of bad news. It was one thing having Jenny walk away, and another completely to hear she had been killed.

"Is it Jenny?" He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to prepare himself for whatever followed next. He listened to the static, anxiety slowly creeping into his body.

" _I do not have much time, and I should not be calling you. But you have to talk to her, our assignment ends in two days, then we have a few days to ourselves – call her then."_

"Ziver, I can't, you know that." Jethro took a heavy breath.

" _Gibbs, they want to pull her out of the Op."_

"There's nothing I can do, even if I wanted to. She's made up her mind, whatever was between us clearly wasn't worth fighting for."

" _And you believe that?"_

Jethro dropped his head against the back of the chair, his eyes still firmly shut, letting out a heavy sigh he couldn't find it in him to answer her without letting his emotions slip.

* * *

The water was scorching as it pelted down, drenching her from head to toe. In some strange sadistic way she hoped it burned the skin right off of her. All she could think of was their target's hands all over her, touching her in ways only one man was really allowed to touch her. She felt dirty as she remembered the man's sweaty hands on her exposed skin – his cigarette stained teeth sinking into the flesh of her shoulder when she tried to get away from him.

Jenny rubbed the bar of soap over her shoulder repeatedly, scratching the skin until faint traces of blood pooled near the surface of her skin. She let out a strangled sob.

She wanted Jethro, wanted him to reassure her that no matter how vile and repulsive the things were they had to do – that he'd still be there waiting for her. The whole assignment had almost gone to hell because she couldn't find it in her to seduce their target enough to follow her to a predetermined destination in order for Mossad to grab him. If it hadn't been for Ziva she was sure she'd be in some alleyway – dead.

All she could see was _his_ blue eyes staring at her in disgust and anger. The guilt and denial had only culminated into her inability to do her job properly. The realisation that she had made a mistake in walking away from Jethro had settled firmly over her the moment she had returned back to her hotel room. The heart to heart she'd had with her mother had only helped her realise that.

Jethro had ruined her.

There wasn't a day that had gone by where she didn't think about him and Kelly. She had wondered if it would have been easier if they had agreed to try a long distance relationship – it would have been easier than knowing she wouldn't be seeing him again.

The hot water felt more bearable as it started running cold. Closing the cold water tap, Jenny grit her teeth as the water burned her already red and sensitive skin. She pressed her forehead against the cool tiles of the shower, trying to remember how it felt to be with Jethro.

If she concentrated long and hard enough she could feel his roughened hands on her body. The callouses scratching her skin softly and causing her muscles to quiver in anticipation. It had become her coping mechanism.

She'd heard the whispers amongst everyone else. Vance was considering pulling her from the Op since she had been unable to perform in her assignment. Jenny swallowed with difficulty, not entirely sure what she'd do if everything she had worked for was suddenly just taken away from her.

The water had run cold, sending a shiver through her body. Turning off the water, she stepped out of the shower.

Wrapped in a fluffy blue towel, she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. She couldn't remember the last time she had looked this worn out, maybe a few days after her father's death? She'd had trouble sleeping back then too. Jenny pressed a finger to the dark circle under one of her eyes, there was nothing make-up couldn't hide.

Swallowing she ignored the bruises on her arms from when the man had gripped her and had refused to let her go. She shuddered at the thought again. Opening the sinks cold water, she splashed some of it in her face. Tightening her towel around her she switched off the bathroom light and felt her way into her equally dark bedroom.

Jenny flicked on a bedside lamp and dropped her towel in a heap on one of the chairs. She pulled the red hoodie over her head, hoping that tonight it would offer her some comfort. She avoided using alcohol for comfort, afraid that she wouldn't be able to stop herself once she started drinking. All she had left were a couple of novels to take her mind off things, but those rarely worked these days.

Grabbing the two picture frames that sat on a small dresser, she padded to the tiny living room – occasionally digging her toes into the thick cream carpet. She stared at _Strawberry Shortcake_ as she sat lifelessly in one of the chairs. Tears burned the corners of her eyes. Picking the rag doll up, she ran her fingers over it reverently – she could hear Kelly's giggles echo around her.

Dropping the doll and pictures on the chair she trudged back to her room.

The bottle of bourbon sat perfectly still on the small coffee table. Jenny took a slow drink from the tumbler she had found in one of the cabinets. It wasn't Jethro's usual brand of fiery whiskey, but it would have to do. There was no way she'd be getting through the next few days without liquid courage to keep her company. She closed her eyes and grimaced as the amber liquid burned down her throat.

All it usually took was one glass of bourbon to dull her senses, making it almost impossible to feel the way the alcohol burned down her throat. Taking another sip, she pressed the tip of her tongue against the roof of her mouth, luxuriating in the burning sensation that ran down her throat all the way to her stomach. It was evidence that she still had the ability to feel, that was probably the main reason she drank bourbon – that and it was a reminder of the man who had introduced her to the retched drink.

There was a heavy loud knock on the door.

Jenny ignored it. It was most probably Ziva who wanted to harass her on what had happened earlier. Jenny lifted her head, trying to see what time it was. It was just after midnight, which meant Ziva probably just got back from smoothing things over with Eli David about what had happened. Choosing to ignore her partner, she took another drink from her bourbon. She had taken the extra key Ziva had, she didn't want her friend to see her like this.

The knock was more urgent and louder than before.

Jenny rolled her eyes, placing her tumbler on the coffee table she dropped her head in her hands. Taking a deep breath she struggled to her feet. Drinking and not eating wasn't the best of ideas, she grabbed onto the back of a chair, waiting until the room stopped spinning.

The knock was angry this time.

Jenny took a deep breath, contemplating if she should simply ignore the knocking or answer the door. Going against her better judgement she reached for the doorknob. The door opened slowly and she squinted as the bright lights in the hall blinded her momentarily. Blinking a few times she took a step back and tried to focus on the person on the other side.

Jenny felt her heart drop to her stomach.

There he stood right in front of her, his blue eyes boring into her as he stared at her. She felt her mouth go dry and her throat constrict, forcing her to gulp for air. Jenny pressed a palm against her forehead, trying to figure out if she was hallucinating due to a lack of sleep or if he was really there.

"Jethro..." She choked out, her eyes ran over him, settling on the bundle he held in his arms. She took a step towards him, but stopped, suddenly unsure of herself. "You're here."

Jethro nodded, he took in the woman before him. The flush of her skin told him she had just stepped out of the shower and the deep crimson colour of her cheeks were no doubt from the alcohol he could smell on her breath. Her hair was wet and curly as it cascaded around her. The sunken look in her eyes told him she'd had very little sleep. The usually warm emerald pools that could lure him to do anything for her were dull and guarded.

"Can I come in?" His voice was hoarse.

Jenny bit her lip and stepped aside, opening the door for him to come inside. He stood in the small room uncomfortably with Kelly still fast asleep in his arms. Locking the door, Jenny stepped closer to Jethro. Pulling the black coat away, she looked down at Kelly, her breath caught in her throat.

"What happened?" Placing a hand on top of Kelly's head she inspected the stitches.

"Swing." Jethro answered, he shifted uncomfortably again.

Jenny frowned and pressed a soft kiss to Kelly's curls. She wiped at her cheeks, unaware that she had allowed a few stray tears to slip down her cheeks.

"Can I put her down somewhere?" Jethro grit his teeth against the numbing pain in his shoulders and arms.

Jenny nodded but didn't move or say a word. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth again and chewed it thoughtfully. Looking down the small hall to the second bedroom she turned back to Jethro, moving closer to him. She cleared her throat, "Uhm… Do you think I can uh… lay her down?"

Jethro shifted and handed Kelly over, making sure she was still wrapped in his coat. He dropped the duffel bag on his shoulder near the door. He watched Jenny closely as she cradled Kelly against her chest, a soft smile playing on her lips. He swallowed and gave her a gentle smile as she looked up at him, the tenderness in her emerald eyes enough for the moment.

Jenny tightened her arms around Kelly, closing her eyes against the onslaught of emotions. Licking her lips nervously, Jenny padded towards the second bedroom. Stopping in the doorway, she looked back down at Kelly. It hadn't actually been that long since the last time she had seen Kelly, two maybe three weeks, but she could have sworn the little girl had grown over night.

The light in the bedroom turned on and she could feel Jethro behind her. She felt his hot breath on her neck and she moved away from him, not sure if having him this close was such a good idea.

Jenny sunk down on the bed, still holding Kelly. She was reluctant to put her down, she wanted to hold her a little while longer, remember what it felt like to have the little bundle of joy near her. She listened to Jethro move around next to her, the thick comforter and blankets rustling quietly as he pulled them back.

He was in front of her again, holding his arms out to take his daughter. Jenny shook her head, not wanting him to take Kelly from her. He stepped back, still not saying anything. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jenny manoeuvred herself so she could lay Kelly down. Placing the toddler amongst the pillows she brushed a few curls off her forehead placing a gentle kiss next to the stitches, and quickly moving away from the bed.

Jenny left them in the spare bedroom, she was dangerously close to loosing her composure. Rushing back to the living room she reached for the bottle of bourbon instead of the tumbler. She had a feeling she'd need the whole bottle instead a few glasses. Taking a healthy swig, she made a quiet noise of disgust as she tasted the whiskey.

A door closed quietly. Placing the bottle back on the coffee table she turned to face Jethro, feeling the need to just look at him.

He was leaning against the wall, his hands buried in his jean pockets. The snow in his dark cropped hair had melted, causing the dark stands to drip water on his face. The deep blue sweater he wore under his leather jacket only accentuated his eyes – and the guarded look in them.

Jenny shifted under his scrutiny. She hadn't had a chance to process the fact that he was a few feet away from her. It bothered her that she couldn't make out how he was feeling, those blue eyes usually gave her some insight on how Jethro was feeling. Had her decision really affect them so much? If it did, why was he here?

Jenny pressed her lips together in a thin line, she pulled herself to her full height she tilted her chin up refusing to let him intimidate her, "Why are you here? Or more importantly, how did you find me?"

Jethro cleared his throat and pushed away from the wall, making his way towards her. Reaching forward he watched her step back before he took the tumbler that still had a mouthful of bourbon in it. Draining the tumbler, he walked to the other side of the room and placed the tumbler on the breakfast table. He ran his eyes over the room, it looked more like an apartment than a hotel room. Turning back, he ran his eyes over Jenny again, taking in the tiredness in her posture.

"It's hardly a secret that you're here." He said with a sigh, he could feel fatigue and jet lag pull at him.

"That wasn't the question and you know that. I want to know how you found me, and if you realise how much danger you have put yourself and Kelly in?" There was anger tingeing her voice, and he couldn't say that he didn't blame her. He could easily have blown her cover if someone caught on to who he was visiting.

"Ziva." Jethro answered. The Israeli had told him where they were, all he needed to do was get on the first flight out of Washington. Jethro rolled his shoulders and moved to one of the chairs, taking a seat he looked around him.

Picking up the two picture frames he looked them over, his face neutral as he stared at them. Placing them on the coffee table he looked over at Jenny, who seemed to bristle with anger.

Jenny grit her teeth, she should have known her partner had something to do with this. Suddenly the surprise of seeing Jethro on her doorstep disappeared. Running a hand through her damp red hair, she steeled herself, "I don't know why you're here, but I want you to leave."

Jethro let out a sneering laugh, his eyes dark, he licked his lips and looked at Jenny, "I doubt that."

Jenny balled her hands in frustration, "Tell me why you're here before I have hotel security remove you."

Jethro slammed his hand on the coffee table, his cheeks flushed with anger. Getting to his feet, Jethro glared at the woman across from him, a few strides had him right in front of her. Her eyes were large and dark as she stared up at him, he could see the golden rings around her eyes as her frustration grew. Breathing her in he had to remind himself why he was here.

"You lied to me." He said roughly.

Jenny let out a hollow laugh, stepping closer and crowding him she looked at him with cold emerald eyes, "You're pathetic."

Jethro dropped his head, his nose almost touching hers, "You did it again."

Jenny ground her teeth together, the sound echoing in her head. Placing a hand against his chest she pushed him away from her half-heartedly. Turning her back to him, she looked at the blank wall in front of her, trying to hide her tears.

"You really should leave." She impressed herself with how steady and calm her voice was.

Jethro closed his eyes and shook his head to himself. He couldn't leave her, not when he knew that she was perilously close to throwing her life away for nothing. When he had made the decision to fly roughly 3000 miles just to tell her she was making a mistake, he knew he couldn't leave without telling her how he truly felt about her.

"Not until you tell me about your father." Jethro took a seat again.

Jenny turned around, her eyes darker than before and more guarded than he had ever seen them. The corners of her mouth curled slightly, a sardonic smile creasing her beautiful face. He could see it in her eyes that she knew he had gone through her file – invaded her privacy.

"I'm sure you're capable enough to put two and two together." Jenny bit at him bitterly. She went for the bottle of bourbon, lifting it to her lips and taking a small sip from the amber liquid.

Jethro shifted forward in his chair, reaching out and taking the whiskey from Jenny. Screwing the cap back on he placed the bottle near his feet. He didn't want her drunk or even slightly inebriated, what he had to say was serious and he needed her to see the reality of the situation.

Swallowing heavily, Jethro laced his fingers together. He'd never told anyone this, the only person who actually knew was Mike Franks, only because he had given him what he needed in order to find the bastard. Jethro tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "I know how it feels." His voice was low and gravely.

"You know nothing." Jenny snapped, her anger simmering under the surface. She felt exposed – stripped bare – because he had seen all the dark secrets she had been trying so hard to hide from him.

Jethro shook his head, angry tears stinging his eyes. "Kelly's mother-" Jethro scrubbed a hand over his face, the colour draining from his cheeks, "she was murdered."

He grit his teeth, his top lip curling in anger and frustration, he let an audible growl slip through his teeth. His chin quivered with the amount of force he used to grit his teeth. He looked at Jenny, "My wife was murdered because she wanted to do the right thing." he met her sparkling green eyes, "Do _you_ know how _that_ feels?"

Abandoning his spot he made his way to where Jenny was seated. He watched her move back, unsure of what he was going to do. Jethro dropped to his knees, wrapping his hands behind her knees and pulling her to the edge of her chair.

He slid a hand into her hair, pulling her face towards his. Jethro closed his eyes as he rested his forehead against hers. Her skin was hot against his, her breath cool against his lips. Placing a hand on her cheek, he wiped the stray tear away with his thumb. He placed his index finger against her temple and applied a little pressure.

"I shot the bastard right there, Jenny." There was the barest hint of a quiver in his voice, "I killed the son of a bitch." he squeezed his eyes tightly against the memory.

Jenny swallowed audibly, "How did it feel?" she croaked.

Jethro was quiet, still holding her close to him. He licked his lips, pulling back he let go of her, lifting himself onto the coffee table he sat right in front of her. He held her small hand in his much larger one, running his thumb over her knuckles. "Like I just made the biggest mistake of my life."

"He killed your wife," Jenny said disbelievingly, "the mother of your child."

Jethro licked his suddenly dry lips again. "And killing him didn't bring her back."

The pain in his eyes were unmistakable as he looked at her. Jenny pulled away from him, not sure she could handle him touching her. Pulling her feet onto the couch, she wrapped her arms around her knees, staring at Jethro as he inspected his hands. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

Jethro nodded, knowing she understood what he had gone through when he lost Shannon. It registered that it was still different, his wife hadn't been accused of treason. He tried reaching for Jenny again but she leaned away from him, uncomfortable with their proximity. Dropping his hand on his thigh he sighed.

"Revenge," Jethro said quietly, watching Jenny's head snapped up and glare at him, "that's what you want. That's why you walked away."

"I'd rather prove my father's innocence, than be trapped in a marriage that wouldn't have survived."

It was Jethro's turn to give her a hollow laugh, it still stung that she had walked away from what they had. "Killing the man you assume is your father's killer doesn't prove his innocence."

"No," Jenny bit back, her eyes smouldering with anger, "but it would make me feel better knowing he got what he deserved."

Jethro shook his head, a sarcastic smile curling his lips, the doubt in her voice was glaringly obvious. Jenny wasn't a cold blooded killer, she had too much compassion and humanity to be able to kill someone without a reason. The only _reason_ she was chasing La Grenouillewas because she believed he had killed her father, and he had evidence to prove it.

Slipping a hand in the inside pocket of his leather jacket, Jethro pulled out a rolled up bundle of papers. Rolling the rubber band off of it, he smoothed the papers open. He looked them over before meeting Jenny's curious gaze. Placing the papers next to him, he reached for her hands, taking them in his he looked at her intently.

"I want to help you, Jen. I don't want you to throw your life away over something that wouldn't be as satisfying as you had hoped." Jethro cleared his throat, this was taking more out of him than he had thought. Taking the papers next to him he handed them over. "Your father had discovered that the CIA had a dirty agent. He was going to expose not only the agent but his handler as well. You and I both know how the Arms World works – your father died a hero, Jenny."

Jenny looked at the file guardedly, "Yet he was called a traitor, dishonourably discharged after he had devoted his entire life to the Army."

"Leon already has CID reopening the investigation. They'll get these guys the right way." Jethro moved to the edge of the coffee table. Placing his hands on Jenny's knees he met her emerald eyes, "This isn't you, Jen. Let them catch these bastards." taking a deep breath he pushed on, "I wouldn't want Kelly throwing her life away over something that could have been resolved the _right_ way. I doubted your father would want _you_ to do that."

Jenny yanked her knees away from him violently, crawling to the other side of the couch and glaring at him with a dark look in her eyes. "My father would still be dead, no matter how his murderer is caught."

"It hurts, I know it does, Jen." Jethro growled through his teeth. He moved to the open spot right next to Jenny, he grabbed her arm gently stopping her from moving away. "You have to let go."

"That's rich coming from you." Jenny tried pulling away again but he tightened his grip. Poking a finger in his chest she allowed a few angry tears to slip, " _You_ didn't move on." she pressed a closed fist against his chest, digging her knuckles into his hard muscles.

Jethro bit his tongue, he knew this was his chance to come clean, to tell her how he truly felt.

"You're right." Stopping her from grinding her fist into his chest he looked at her sincerely. "I have a child with her." Jethro swallowed and took a deep breath, "I thought I would _never_ be able to move on. But I was wrong. You _do_ move on, you just never forget."

"That supposed to make me feel better?" Jenny asked softly, having given up on trying to get away from Jethro.

Jethro laughed softly, shaking his head he let go of her, he rested an arm on the back of the couch while the other found its way to her thigh. "Hopin' it would."

Jenny smiled and rolled her eyes, she had missed his strange sense of comfort and humour. She didn't know if things between them would ever be the same as before. Placing a hand over his she met his azure eyes, "What changed?" She couldn't imagine moving on after the loss he had gone through, especially since she knew the nature of Shannon's death.

Jethro cleared his throat, he moved around nervously, "I met you."

"Jethro-" Jenny stopped when he held up a hand.

Jethro let out an almost shaky breath. The hand on her thigh tightened and the other found its way to her cheek, his thumb stroking the soft skin he found.

"I love you, Jenny." Jethro moved closer, his nose almost bumping hers, "I really mean it."

Jenny bit her lip, placing her own hand on his cheek, she stroked his day old stubble. Moving closer she rested her forehead against his, a few tears rolling down her cheek. She was beyond the point of worrying what he'd think if he saw her crying, they had shared enough painful and intimate moments to know that sometimes it couldn't be helped.

"What I said, about this not working." She felt him stiffen. "I lied, I want this to work." Jenny shifted onto her knees, pressing her cheek against Jethro's, feeling his stubble scratch her cheek. Closing her eyes she pressed her lips against his ear. He gripped her arms, kneading the sore muscles. Sliding a hand in his soft hair she pulled him against her, "I love you too."

Jethro pulled away fractionally. He smiled up at her, taking in her large and warm green eyes, the same eyes that had caught his attention the first time he had seen her. Sliding both hands in her hair, he cradled her head in his hands. He leaned up, his lips brushing hers softly, he heard her breathing hitch.

"Jenny..." Jethro said thickly, he disentangled a hand from her hair and slid it into his jacket's breast pocket.

Jenny sat back, looking at him expectantly, but refusing to move away from him.

Jethro pulled the ring out of his jacket pocket, holding it between his thumb and index finger. Looking at Jenny a little unsure, he swallowed down his nerves and stood, pulling her to her feet as well.

Jethro knelt down on one knee – trying to ignore the pain – holding the ring in his palm. He was aware that he probably didn't have to go through the trouble of getting down on one knee again, but he wanted to do it right. He gave her a smile as he looked up at her.

"Jenny, will you marry me?"

Jenny bit her lip, she smiled at him, "Yes!"

Jethro struggled to his feet, taking Jenny's hand he slipped the ring on her finger.

"It's perfect." Jenny said breathlessly.

Jethro slipped his hands in her hair again, pulling her impossibly closer, their chests pressing together as they breathed the same air. They pressed their foreheads together, both smiling. He brushed his lips over hers, he ran the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip and she welcomed him.

Jenny moaned quietly as she tasted him, weeks of nothing but memories had only made her long for him more. Fisting a hand in his short hair she pulled him closer, wanting him to consume her. Somehow kissing him now felt different. They knew each other now, knew the others dark secrets, and loved each other none the less. Jethro deepened their kiss and she let herself get lost.

They had stumbled to her bedroom, lacking all the finesse they occasionally had when they tried to get the other undressed. They had managed to make it down the hall and into the room without waking Kelly or knocking something over.

Jenny let out a satisfied sigh as she felt Jethro's warm breath on her abdomen, his skin was slick and hot as he moved over her, his lips trailing between the valley of her breasts. She threw her head back as he latched onto one of her breasts, biting her lip she reached down and threaded her fingers in his hair. Her body was on fire, everything inside her seemed to be screaming for attention.

Jethro grazed his teeth over the sensitive bud and watched with fascination as her entire body broke out in goosebumps. Trailing teasing kisses further up her body, he met Jenny's dark green eyes, he felt himself tighten to the point where it was down right painful. He felt her wet heat press against his heated flesh and he had to take a moment to stop himself from plundering the moment.

Dropping his head in the crook of her neck, he found the spot where her pulse was hammering against her delicate skin. He bit down softly before laving the angry red marks with his tongue.

Jenny arched under Jethro's ministrations. Their brief stint of celibacy was only making her need grow, she hadn't noticed the primal need until he was touching her and kissing her until her lungs burned. Tightening her legs around his waist, she used brute force to roll him onto his back. Jenny gasped when she felt his tip press just shy of sliding into her. Looking down at him through her lashes, she could see he was struggling with keeping his control. Leaning down she kissed him, she felt him cup her breasts and moaned into his mouth.

Jethro pushed himself up on his arms, shifting around he sat up. His hands gripped Jenny's hips as she took him in her hand. Meeting her eyes he felt her move and then her heat engulfed him, his moan got stuck in his throat as she mewled in his ear, he could feel that he was buried up to the hilt.

Jenny rocked her hips experimentally and they both gasped in surprise, the angle was exquisite. Lacing her fingers in Jethro's hair she started moving against him. Crashing her lips against his, she kissed him breathlessly as he moved inside her.

Jethro wrapped his arms around Jenny, pulling her against his chest. He felt the familiar tingle run down his spine as Jenny's muscles quivered and then clenched around him. He heard her moan against his throat as her body convulsed, drawing him over the edge and sending him into white hot oblivion.

They held each other close, listening to the others ragged breathing. They kissed slowly as they eased down from their high. Jenny sat back, cupping Jethro's cheeks in her hands, brushing her thumb over his lips he smiled at her that lopsided grin. The engagement ring glinted in the soft light coming from the bed lamp.

Jethro took her hand in his, placing a soft kiss to the tips of her fingers he looked at her with crystal blue eyes. "Jenny, I can't promise that things will always be easy, but..." he trailed off.

Jenny leaned against him, snuggling closer. Slipping a hand in her hair Jethro pulled her in for a kiss. Drawing away he smiled at her again, "But I'll always love you."

Jenny smiled back at him, hugging him against her she ran a hand through his hair, "Someone once told me that, it wouldn't be called love if it were easy."

* * *

 _May (4 months later)_

* * *

They stood off to the side, watching through the glass windows as an occasional plane landed on the large stretch of tarmac. Jethro shifted uncomfortably, he knew that his anxiousness was showing. Looking around him he saw his now four-year-old daughter hop between the group of people that had accompanied them to the airport. He smiled to himself as she giggle and hopped towards him.

Kelly leaned her head against his thigh and looked out of the window with him. Crouching beside her, he pulled her into him. He knew she was trying her best to stay calm while they waited, she had been anxious about Jenny's return since the day they had left Paris.

The last four months had been brutal for all three of them. They were only allowed to talk once every three weeks, with the only exception that Jenny called them from a secure line at the Paris field office. It had been hard knowing she was miles away putting herself in danger on a daily basis with no guarantee that she would make it out alive.

However, the last two months had been the worst. From the little Jenny had divulged, he knew they had closed in on their main dealer – the same man who had killed her father – and for eight excruciatingly long weeks he hadn't heard from her. Leon did inform him that they had been sent to the Czech Republic again and that she had been injured with a chance of her not making it. Consequently leading him to turn the whole of NCIS on its head just so he could find out if she was okay.

"Daddy?" Kelly broke through his reverie.

"Yeah, Kel?" Jethro planted a kiss on her forehead, right over the large scar.

"Is Jenny going to go away again?" Kelly asked quietly, her blue eyes large and concerned.

"No, honey, she's staying right here with us." Jethro smiled when she clapped her hands excitedly. Standing back up he lifted her onto his hip. It was a rare occurrence these days that Kelly asked to be picked up, she was becoming more independent and it saddened him.

"When you and Jenny get married, is she going to be my mommy for real?" Kelly leaned her head against her father's shoulder, watching as a plane descended until it made contact with the tarmac.

"Do you want her to be your mommy?" Jethro asked tentatively. They had tried explaining what it meant that they were engaged, but the concept had somewhat been lost on Kelly. It had been clear that Kelly was aware that Jenny wasn't her real mother, but she wanted her to be none the less.

"Yes, very much." Kelly said with a soft sigh before letting a big yawn escape.

Jethro smiled and hugged her closer. He and Jenny hadn't really discussed much about when they would get married, and if it were up to him he'd have her at the alter the very next day.

The warm Virginia sun felt good on her skin as she walked through the terminal. She didn't think she'd ever see the United States again after they had left so abruptly. Ziva ran a hand through her thick curls, she had surprised herself when she had requested to be transferred back to America with Jenny. She felt like she belonged here and that was all that mattered to her.

Looking to her left she watched as Jenny waltzed beside her, a warm smile gracing her features as she searched the crowd of people. The difference in her partner was palpable since Gibbs had flown out to Paris; she knew that their conspiracy to get him there could easily have blown up in their faces – but seeing Jenny now and how much she had change – it was well worth it.

As for her and Tony, she wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen between them. They hadn't spoken to each other since he had seen her off at this very airport. There were a lot of things she had to deal with before she could consider having a serious relationship – with anyone. For now all she wanted was to be friends, and eventually see where that would lead them.

Jenny adjusted her duffel bag on her shoulder. Running her thumb over her ring finger, she couldn't help the smile that curled her lips. It still felt strange having the ring on her finger, she hadn't worn it in the last four months, but it had always hung around her neck along with the emerald stone he had given her.

The excitement of seeing them was almost unbearable. There had been an abundance of tears when she had called Kelly on her birthday in March – she had wanted to be there with all her heart but circumstances didn't allow it. That had also been the last time she had talked to them before last night.

"Jenny!"

The delighted squeal had her looking up. She searched the crowd almost frantically for a pair of electric blue eyes. It wasn't long before a tiny body emerged amongst the sea of people, her _All Star_ sneakers squeaking as she ran towards Jenny. Dropping her duffel bag on the floor, Jenny knelt down and caught Kelly just before she could crash into her.

Jenny hugged Kelly against her, burying her nose in the soft curls. She had missed her more than she could ever explain.

"Jenny, I missed you so much." Kelly whispered in her ear, "I don't want you to go away, ever, ever, ever, ever again. Promise you won't go away."

"I promise I'll never leave you again." Jenny said thickly as she hugged Kelly closer to her. Picking her up, she slung her duffel over her shoulder. Jenny grit her teeth against the pain in her thigh. She scanned the people in front of her again, seeing a number of familiar faces as they waved at them excitedly.

Blue eyes met green.

They smiled at each other. Jenny placed Kelly on the floor and watched her scamper off towards Ziva and attacking her in a hug. The others stepped aside to let her through. The duffel bag dropped to the floor again and he reached for her as soon as she was within reach.

Jethro placed a hand on her cheek reverently, silently telling himself that she was there in front of him. He dropped his head against hers softly, breathing her and simply looking at her. Cupping the back of her head he pulled her into a kiss.

They didn't care about who saw them or what people thought. It didn't take much for them to deepen their kiss, catching up on four months of no physical contact. It was only Ducky's slightly nervous cough that had them pulling away from each other. Jethro smirked at her and gave her a soft kiss.

"I missed you, Jen." Jethro said hoarsely as he watched her eyes water slightly.

"I missed you too." She blinked and wiped at her eyes.

Jethro hugged Jenny against him, he met Ziva's dark gaze and gave her a smile. Turning his attention back to Jenny he brushed his fingers over her cheeks and wiped away her tears. Their quiet moment was interrupted when Kelly crashed into her father's legs. They both reached for her and supported her on their arms.

Kelly looked between the two adults, her lips pursed in seriousness, "We should get married tomorrow."

"DiNozzo!" They both snapped at the young Italian who was already hiding behind a wide eyed Abby.

Jethro shook his head and turned back to Jenny. They placed Kelly back on the ground and left her to watch the planes take off and land.

"I thought I lost you there for a moment, Jen." Jethro whispered.

"That'll be the day." Jenny smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

She was finally home.

* * *

 _Hoped you enjoyed the happy ending, I know I did. All that's left is the epilogue, and I have to confess that I'm a little emotional about finishing this story, since it is my first one and all of you have been so wonderful in your support. I'm already working on a new story and that should be up a week or two after this story is finished. I wanted to do something in the supernatural category but I'd rather hear your thoughts on that before I started with something like that._

 _Thank you for reading. As always your thoughts are welcome ;)_


	15. Heaven Sent

_**Disclaimer:** _I don't own anything you recognize._ _Except for the mistakes those are mine.__

 ** _A/N_** **:** _The reviews were absolutely wonderful, thank you so much._ _Thank you as well for your wonderful support through out this story, it always encouraged me to deliver something that_ _all of you_ _enjoyed._ _As I said in the last chapter I'm not quiet ready to say goodbye to this_ _universe_ _just yet, there_ _will_ _be various tags to this._

 _I realised that I wasn't really clear with what I said about the 'supernatural category', I apologise. What I meant was 'genre', meaning Jibbs in a story about vampires and stuff – you get the picture._ _I was just curious to see how many_ _of you_ _would read something like that before I started writing something_ _;) Be on the look out for my next Jibbs story called –_ _ _ **The Protection Detail**__ _ _– it's sort of an AU take on their Europe adventure.__

 _Enjoy*_

* * *

 _14 years later (June 2011)_

* * *

The crickets were still singing outside, meaning he still had an hour or so of peace and quiet. It was the first time in years he hadn't been able to fall asleep. He was used to little sleep, raising four children had taught him to appreciate any form of shut eye he could get. Tonight or rather this morning was different – life as he knew it was about to change once again. This day had been a long time coming, but he didn't want it to happen for another twenty – maybe even thirty years.

His little girl was finally all grown up, ready to start her life as a young adult. He had hoped that he could freeze time some how and relive all the moments in her life all over again – from the moment he held her up until today – graduation. Jethro let out a soft sigh.

The bed shifted and he knew she was awake as well. Jenny had been a lot more expressive in how she felt about Kelly graduating from high school, he had caught her crying in the nursery just before they had turned in for the night. Turning on his side, he looked at her. Just like he suspected, she was awake, her cheeks glistening with tears. Reaching out he cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears.

"Thought you were asleep." He said quietly.

Jenny shook her head, placing her smaller hand over his, "He's going to be waking up any minute."

They both looked down when the latest member to their family started stirring. Logan Jethro Gibbs let out a quiet whimper, waving his tiny arms in the air and kicking his legs as he started crying. Jenny smiled and shifted until she was propped up against the headboard.

Jethro sat up as well, watching his son root around aimlessly before latching on, with his mother's help, and starting to drink. He rubbed his eye with the heel of his hand, watching Jenny as she stroked Logan's tummy as he suckled happily. He moved closer to them and wrapped an arm around Jenny's shoulders letting her rest her head on his bicep.

"He's still so small." Jethro whispered quietly.

Jenny laughed quietly and turned to kiss Jethro's cheek. She had learned after their first pregnancy that Jethro was easily enthralled with just how tiny a baby could be. He had informed her that Adira had been smaller than Kelly, which was in a way understandable he hadn't seen Kelly until she had been a month old.

Their youngest daughter, Anja, had been the smallest clearly taking after her mother. Logan, however, was in every sense of the word his father's double. He was equally stubborn and never made a sound, unless he was hungry or needed attention from his mother. All four their children were precious and each had a story for the ages.

"Jethro," Jenny said quietly as Logan's eyes started to droop, "I don't want her to leave." Jethro buried his nose in Jenny's hair, silently agreeing with her.

They had been through a lot over the last fourteen years, it hadn't been long after they had gotten married that their family of three grew into a family of four – with Jethro going missing in Columbia for a month during the last stretch of pregnancy. Kelly had broken an arm, bashed her head open more times than they could count all in a stretch of five years between Adira and Anja being born.

It had become quite clear that Kelly had inherited her father's – for a lack of a better word – guts to face a dangerous situation head on. The broken arm had been a result of her being stuck in a tree and then plummeting to the ground when the branch broke during their summer vacation in Stillwater. Her head injuries where all a result of falling off her bicycle without her helmet.

Their little tomboy had blossomed into a beautiful young woman – who was getting ready to start her own life.

"It feels like yesterday that I met her." Jenny smiled nostalgically as she stroked Logan's downy hair.

Jethro took Logan carefully as Jenny handed him over, placing him on his chest and cradling him for their early morning snuggle. It had become their ritual ever since Adira had been born. After they had been breastfed and burped he would take them and sit with them until the alarm went off.

Jenny moved closer, leaning her head against Jethro's shoulder and just watching him hold their son. She knew Jethro occasionally felt detached, he had done everything when Kelly had been a baby – resulting in him hovering in the background whenever it was feeding time. In the beginning it had frustrated her that he was constantly there when the baby cried, but they had soon used the opportunity to bond with each other and their child.

"Back then, you ever think we'd be married with four kids?" Jethro looked at her with a smile.

Jenny grinned up at him, her emerald eyes large and warm, "Back then I didn't even think I would be married, let alone have children."

Jethro laughed quietly, shaking his head. They had gotten married in July, two months after she had returned from Paris, it hadn't been long after their wedding that she had told him they were expecting. He was convinced conception had been during their honeymoon, while Jenny firmly believed it happened just after they had returned from Positano.

The second time around had taken significantly longer. It had taken them five years before Anja was conceived, they had tried again after that but when they hit the two year mark they agreed that three girls were perfectly fine with them. Up until last year when the doctor had told them that Jenny wasn't experiencing symptoms of menopause but that she was in fact pregnant.

"Jen," Jethro looked up from watching Logan, "what if we never see her again?"

Jenny placed a kiss on his shoulder, "She'll only be away for the summer, after that she'll be back here."

"Living on her own."

Jenny shook her head, "Jethro, the town house is in Georgetown it's not that far. It's closer to medical school, and she's a responsible young woman."

Jethro raised a sceptical eyebrow, "Then why were you crying earlier, if she's not going to be _that far_?"

Jenny glared at him playfully. Relaxing against him again, she covered his hand as it rested on their six-month-old son's back, "I never wanted her to grow up."

They fell silent again, both just waiting for the day to start – which would no doubt be an emotional one.

An alarm clock went off somewhere in the house, it wasn't long before she heard someone whine to turn it off. She smiled and snuggled further into her comforter, hoping to get another thirty minutes of shut eye. Just when the silence drew on long enough for her to fall back asleep her bedroom door crashed open.

Yoda growled from his blue basket, the old dog snapped at the Boston Terrier puppy who tried to get in the basket with him. "Yoda, be nice to Chewie." A small voice giggled.

"No, Yoda, don't be nice chase them away." Kelly grumbled from somewhere under the comforter.

Kelly braced herself for impact when the bed dipped, relaxing only when she felt a tiny body crawl underneath the comforter with her. Opening one blue eye she watched as Anja only succeeded in tangling herself in the comforter. Running a hand over her face, Kelly sat up looking down at her little sister as she stared back up at her.

"What you doing up, little worm?" Kelly asked through a yawn.

Anja sat up as well, crawling out of the comforter and onto her sister's lap. She shrugged her shoulders and leaned against Kelly, burying her face in her shoulder.

Kelly placed a comforting hand on her sister's back. Looking around her room she hugged Anja tighter. She had several fond memories in her still yellow-walled room. Memories of her parents reading to her, long nights of studying – as well as her dad walking in on her and Kyle making out not so long ago. She snorted softly, her mom had been the calmest, making sure Kyle made his way to the living room without suffering any spontaneous injuries.

"You hungry?" Kelly asked Anja as she heard the little girl's stomach growl. Anja nodded and scrambled on the bed to hitch a piggyback ride down to the kitchen.

Kelly groaned as her eight-year-old sister hopped on her back and wrapped her arms around her neck. She winced slightly as Anja pulled her hair accidentally, smiling when she heard the softly muttered sorry that followed.

Yoda struggled out of his basket, Kelly frowned slightly. The once rambunctious pup had mellowed with age, she wondered how much more he still had in him. Preferring to push that depressing thought out of her mind she whistled at Chewie who was still snoring in the basket. The puppy jumped up and bolted out of the room, earning himself a disapproving yap from Yoda.

Placing Anja on the floor, Kelly trudged behind her sister at a snail's pace until they found themselves in the kitchen. She looked around the kitchen bleary eyed until she found the full carafe on the island, the house had gone through various renovations since their family started growing. Filling her large _Star Wars_ mug with scalding hot coffee– which had been a gift from Tony to replace the sippy cup she had out grown – she watched Anja usher the dogs out into the backyard.

"Morning sleepy head." Jenny smiled as she walked into the kitchen, placing a kiss against Kelly's temple she reached for her own mug. "What time did you get in last night?"

"One, I think, I can't really remember. Ask Dad, I'm sure he'll know." Kelly laughed as she took a seat on one of the bar stools.

"Was he spying again?" Jenny asked as she took a seat next to Kelly.

"Yes, and I don't know if he's aware that I can see him when he's peeking through the curtains."

Jenny laughed, placing her mug on the island and wrapping an arm around Kelly's shoulders, holding her close. She had promised herself that she wouldn't be too emotional today but it was proving to be rather difficult.

"Mom," Kelly said quietly as she moved closer to her mother, "have I ever told you how thankful I am that you came into our lives?"

Jenny felt tears burning the corners of her eyes. "Oh, Kelly, you just know how to make someone cry." Putting her mug down, she wrapped her arms around Kelly and hugged her. Placing a hand on Kelly's long curly hair she kissed the crown of her head. "You're missing her, aren't you?"

Kelly wiped at her eyes discreetly, trying to hide the fact that she was crying, "It feels so stupid, I don't even know her. All I know is what Dad and Nana told me."

"It's not stupid, honey, she's still your mother. Even though she isn't around to see you, I'm more than sure she'd be proud of the woman you have become."

Kelly sniffed a little and wiped her face with the back of her hand. The back door opened and the two Boston Terriers waltzed in with Anja hot on their heels. The little girl's red hair glinted in the sun as she walked through the door and closed it behind her.

Skipping to where her mother and sister sat, she hoisted herself onto a chair and then moved to sit on the island. She tilted her head at her mother and sister, looking at them with pursed lips, "Why are we crying? Is it because Kelly's going away?"

"Yes, darling. Now get off the table, a lady shouldn't sit on a table." Jenny scolded Anja lightly.

Anja looked at Kelly with a raised eyebrow before turning back to her mother, "Is it because I won't get a husband when I sit on a table. That's what Nana Jo says when I sit on the table and she's nearby. If it's true can I keep sitting on the table? Because I don't want a husband."

"No, it has got nothing to do with you not getting a husband, Anja. It's called manners, and if you don't find ours it's going to be you and me, young lady." Jenny looked at her youngest daughter with what the kids had dubbed the _'_ _momma-look'_.

Anja widened her eyes comically and looked at her big sister for help. Kelly shrugged her shoulders and smiled at her little sister. Anja huffed and jumped off of the island just in time to avoid her father scolding her as well.

Jethro adjusted Logan in his arms, smiling when he clapped his hands excitedly the moment he saw his mother. Logan gurgled happily as his father planted a kiss on his tummy, he smacked his lips together and fisted a hand in his father's hair as he babbled to everyone in the kitchen. Logan held out his arms towards Kelly, cooing when she took him and cuddled him against her.

Jethro took a seat next to Jenny, turning her towards him he gave her a slow and long kiss.

"Gross!" Anja exclaimed in disgust as she watched her parents kiss.

Jethro pulled his face at Anja and kissed Jenny again for good measure. They shared a smile as she rolled her eyes and shot passed them to the living room where Chewie was probably gnawing on someone's toy. Jenny abandoned her spot to start breakfast.

Jethro took Jenny's seat next to Kelly and watched with a smile as she interacted with Logan – who was beyond thrilled with all the attention. Jethro refilled the empty mug and took a long drink from the cup. Placing a hand on Kelly's shoulder he squeezed softly.

"How's my doc, you excited?" Jethro pulled Kelly closer, hugging her into his side.

Kelly nodded enthusiastically, her blue eyes shining brightly, "Yeah, you have no idea. My bags are already packed."

Jethro smiled despite the painful thud his heart gave when he saw the excitement in his daughter's eyes, of leaving to start her own life. She had surprised them when she had informed them one night that she wanted to study medicine and specialise in paediatrics. They had their own theories; one of them being that she knew about their difficulty to conceive, whatever it was that had urged her on, they were supporting her with every step.

"You promise you won't be sneaking out when you're in Boston?" Jethro asked with a teasing smirk.

Kelly scoffed and turned her attention back to her baby brother, "Dad, please, you think uncle James will let me out of his sight?"

Jenny laughed from where she was busy with breakfast. "You have a better chance sneaking out of this house."

"No she doesn't. I've caught her every single time Kyle showed up on our doorstep." Jethro gave his daughter a smug smile when she glared at him. He didn't mind Kyle hanging around the house, as long as the boy was in his line of sight so he could break his legs when he got too frisky it was fine with him.

"You're aware that they see you, right?" Jenny asked with a grin of her own.

"I let them see me, Madam Director." Jethro gave Jenny a lopsided smirk as she narrowed her eyes at him, his smile only grew when she licked her lips and blew him a kiss.

"Jeez, could you two please get a room." Kelly mumbled just before she finished her coffee. Standing she handed her brother back to her dad and left to get in the shower before anyone else.

Logan babbled cheerfully once he was in his father's arms, giggling when he was tickled. Jethro adjusted Logan so he could sit on his lap and handed him the wooden rattle that had been a gift from Jackson. Satisfied that Logan was preoccupied he watched his wife as she moved around the kitchen effortlessly.

His moment of admiration was interrupted when Adira moseyed into the kitchen, looking still half asleep. She glared at her baby brother when he chucked his rattle at her in excitement. Picking the wooden toy up she handed it back to him and climbed onto a chair next to her father. Adira eyed her brother wearily as he kicked his legs and babbled at her.

Jethro kissed Adira's temple softly, not saying a word. He'd never admit it, but he was terrified when one of his children were headed for those dreaded teenage years. They reminded him too much of the tantrum phase each of his daughter's had gone through. Kelly's teenage years had been relatively calm, with only a handful of slightly rebellious incidents, but every kid tried to act out in some way or another.

He wasn't sure what to expect from Adira. She looked every bit like her mother, from the sharp green eyes to the deep crimson curls. Despite the stereotype that red hair meant a fiery temper, she was the exact opposite. She was calm and collected, in a way she reminded him of his mother, always able to see the bigger picture despite the circumstances.

"What time did you go to sleep?" Jethro asked as he watched Adira fight yet another yawn.

She smiled at him sheepishly and wiped the moisture out of her eyes that the yawn had brought on. Clearing her throat she shifted in her chair, "I was still awake when Kelly got back."

"That was almost two o'clock." Jethro looked at her with narrowed eyes. Getting Adira in bed early had been a struggle since the day she had been born, she was by definition most definitely a night owl.

"It was a really good book." She looked from her father to her mother, unsure of what their reaction would be.

Jethro bounced Logan on his knee as he looked over at his wife, pointing a finger at his daughter he grinned at his wife, "She gets it from you."

Adira reached for an apple, preferring to keep herself out of the conversation. Biting into the apple thoughtfully she reached for the necklace Kelly had given her for her birthday. She didn't want her parents to know that she and Kelly had spent most of night talking instead of sleeping. She had shared some things with her sister that would definitely give her parents a heart attack.

There was a clatter in the living room, followed by tiny paws clattering on the wooden floors. Chewie flew into the kitchen, sliding across the floor until he came to a stop near Jenny's feet. Jenny glared down at the pup as he dropped the purple slipper at her feet, barking at her for approval.

Chewie had found his way into their home one night when Jethro came home from work with the puppy wrapped with him in his coat. He had stumbled across him while interviewing a neighbour at a crime scene and had brought him home, ever since then he and the dog had been inseparable. The girls had all fallen in love with him, and so did she despite the fact that he'd chewed his way through more toys than she could count, and some of her favourite heels.

"Give it back!" Anja demanded as she stormed into the kitchen, her hands on her hips and glaring at the pup as he laid down and rested his head on the slipper, looking at her with liquid brown eyes. It must have done the trick because she sat down next to the puppy and scratched behind his ears. "Can I have Kelly's room?" Anja looked between her parents with bright aquamarine eyes.

"I want her room." Adira interjected quickly. It had been war ever since Kelly had told them she was moving out.

"No, I want her room, I asked first." Anja stuck her tongue out at her older sister, a mean glare on her face.

"I'm older-"

"Enough, each of you have your own rooms." Jethro growled at his daughters, giving each of them a pointed look. Adira huffed and stormed out of the kitchen, taking the situation more personally than she was supposed to. Anja pulled her face at Adira's back only to have both her parents scold her.

Jethro let out a heavy sigh, emotions were at an all time high today. He felt Jenny move closer to him, taking Logan off his hands and holding him for a while. Jethro dropped his head against her chest, sighing dejectedly.

Jenny smiled as Logan yawned, smacking his lips together and resting his head on her shoulder cooing as he fisted a hand in her hair. Turning back to Jethro she hugged him closer, sliding a hand into his silver hair, and pressing a kiss to his temple when she felt him take a shuddering breath.

* * *

Jethro tugged at his royal blue tie, no matter how many shindigs he had gone to over the last few years, he still hated wearing a tie. Since Jenny's promotion from head of the anti-terrorism division to the director of NCIS; she had dragged him to every charity event and ball, despite his dislike of all the tight sphincters, he had been there to support her – and to glare at every congressman who leered at _his_ wife.

The tie was supposed to match Jenny's dress, but he was perilously close to exchanging his designer suit for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The thought had hardly passed through his mind when he saw Jenny glaring at him in the mirror.

Jenny placed a sleeping Logan in his car seat and strapped him in. Placing the car seat safely on the floor next to Jethro's feet, she looked at her husband with narrowed eyes. "You ruin this tie, Jethro..." Jenny warned as she slapped his hands away and fixed it, "I'll _tie_ you up with it."

"Promise?" Jethro smirked at his wife as she raised a teasing eyebrow.

Kelly's eyes widened slightly as she made her way down the stairs, "TMI," when her dad stared at her with a blank expression she collaborated, "Too much information."

Jethro grunted and turned back to the mirror that had found its way into the foyer over the years. He met his daughter's blue eyes in the mirror, "No dress, Kel?"

Kelly looked down at her black designer slacks and high heels, shrugging her shoulders she continued fiddling with her uncooperative curly hair. She wasn't a typical girly girl, she despised anything that resembled a dress or even a skirt. She'd learned early on to ignore the teasing and bullying. She smiled at her dad as he winked at her.

Dad had been there for her when the teasing and bullying had been a little too much to bare – her mother had wanted to snap everyone's neck who had ever teased or bullied her. She sighed softly as her father wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I've been thinking." Jethro said as he turned back to the mirror, "Sending you to Boston isn't a good idea, I mean who's going to keep an eye on you?"

Kelly rolled her eyes, her dad had been joking about not letting her go ever since uncle James had offered her the opportunity to work at the hospital he had opened in Boston. "Dad, we've been through this before, I'll be with uncle James for most of the day. You really need to relax, besides, Kate's in Boston now you can even ask her to check up on me."

Jethro spun around, finally happy with his tie. Holding up a finger he looked between the two women in front of him, "Kate won a wet t-shirt contest."

Kelly smirked slightly, her mom had teased her father about that picture for days when he had told her that he had never expected something like that from goody-two-shoes Kate.

"Yeah and? Mom won one too." She realised her mistake when her father's jaw practically hit the floor. Looking at her mother apologetically she tried getting out of the room as quickly as possible. "I uhm… I have to uh… I'm going to see if Anja needs any help getting dressed." Kelly stormed up the stairs again.

Jethro turned to look at his wife, he'd finally managed to close his mouth. He knew Jenny had had a slightly wild streak just after high school, but she'd never told him about any wet t-shirt contest.

"No, Jethro, it was a long time ago." Jenny glared at her husband, the playful twinkle in his eyes had told her that his mind had gone straight to the bedroom.

Jethro stepped up behind her, looking up the stairs at the top landing he made sure there was no-one listening. Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled Jenny into his chest, nuzzling his nose in her hair. He could see her green eyes darken as he kissed the side of her neck.

"How come you never told me?" He asked hoarsely.

"I'm sure you have some dirty little secret I don't know about either." Jenny purred.

Jethro shook his head, smiling against her cheek when she scoffed. He inched his hands up her sides, "Jenny..." he drawled in her ear, smiling when she shivered, "Do you still have a picture?"

Jenny licked her lips, smiling wickedly when she met his darkened eyes in the mirror. Deciding to toy with him, she placed her hands over his and moved them further up her ribs, "No, but what would you do if I told you I might still have the t-shirt?"

Jethro tightened his grip fractionally, "I would prefer to show you."

Jenny let out a throaty laugh and pulled away from her husband, giving him a sultry look over her shoulder, "Too bad, I don't have the shirt any more."

Jethro opened his mouth to say something but everyone decided to storm down the stairs, with Kelly shouting at them to get moving because they were running behind schedule.

The large room was noisy with everyone moving around trying to find a seat. Jethro looked down the row of seats they had picked. The Gibbs clan took up almost an entire row with all their extended family members present. Everyone was there from Jackson, Joann and Ducky, to Jenny's family along with her brothers as well as the whole of team Gibbs. Mike Franks had been unable to make it, but he had called Kelly and told her that he'd be visiting after the summer.

Jethro rolled his eyes as he heard Ziva and Tony bicker. Things between those two had been tense for a couple of months after the Paris Op. They had danced around each other for years before succumbing and trying to make a relationship work, but even that had been an on again off again attempt.

A few years back Ziva had been injured during a stakeout and that had been the catalyst that made them realise they wanted something more permanent and stable. Now they were engaged and waiting for the one year mark before setting a wedding date. A friendly wave at the end of the row had him waving back. Jethro smiled at Tim and Delilah as they turned back to chatting with Abby.

Jethro looked down and watched his baby boy sleep soundly despite all the noise around him. Running a fingertip over his cheek, Logan squirmed and blinked his bright blue eyes open. Jethro had the bottle out of the portable bottle warmer before Logan could make a sound. Logan cooed softly as he suckled his bottle.

It had taken him a while to adjust to the fact that he didn't have to do every single thing when it came to parenting. It had taken him even longer to accept that his children were more interested in their mother on occasion because she fed them. One thing he was thankful for was the fact that they didn't have to struggle with making the formula, because he couldn't even see the tiny print back when Kelly was a baby.

Logan pushed his bottle away for a moment, cooing at his father. Jethro smiled and kissed his forehead softly. Looking down the row of seats he saw Adira and Anja deeply engrossed in a conversation with his father. Logan gurgled and kicked his feet in excitement when he saw his mother. Jethro gave her a faint smile and handed Logan over.

Jenny cradled Logan against her chest, giving him his bottle she stroked his hair until his baby blues slid shut. Looking over at Jethro she saw him look at their two daughters as they entertained everyone around them. Taking his hand in hers she smiled and ran her thumb over his knuckles. He was think exactly what she was, it would only be a matter of time before they were all grown up as well.

Jethro fiddled with the button on the camera, waiting impatiently for them to call Kelly's name. There was a sharp whistle somewhere down the row and it could only be Tony. It was hard to miss the blush on Kelly's cheeks as she made her way across the stage. Almost the entire row had scrambled to their feet. Angelo and Marco picked up the whistling when Tony seemed to have run out of breath.

Jethro smiled as he watched Kelly walk across the stage with her head held high.

" _You two did good, Jethro. I couldn't be prouder."_ He could barely hear her but he knew who it was.

Jethro smiled and wrapped an arm around Jenny. It had been years since the last time he had heard her voice. He saw the slight quizzical look on Jenny's face but he simply pecked her on the lips. Hugging her against him, they watched Kelly make her way to her group of friends.

"We did good, Ma." Jethro whispered. Jenny nodded and they both smiled proudly at the strong young woman they had raised.

* * *

The nursery's lights were dimmed making the soft cream walls appear even softer. Jenny tapped Logan's back rhythmically as he drank, running her other hand over his dark hair soothingly. The corners of his mouth twitched as he smiled. Jenny shifted Logan to make him drink easier, dropping her head against the headrest of the rocking chair she looked over at Jethro.

He was propped up in the other rocking chair, his eyes firmly shut as he listened to all the activity going on in the house. He had been more quite than usual ever since they had arrived back home, the only time he really said something was during dinner. Kelly was finishing packing her bags, and she assumed that was getting to him.

"Jethro," Jenny whispered, he grunted for her to continue, "she'll be back here living with us before you know it."

"How can you be sure?" Jethro sat up, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

Jenny smiled, "Remember when she wanted to go out of State to study? It wasn't long before she changed her mind to study here."

"And your theory misses Gibbs?" Jethro asked with a slight smirk.

Jenny's voice dropped even further, "She doesn't like being alone. She'll be here more than at the town house. I only offered her the town house because I knew she'd eventually move back in with us."

"You're a devious woman." Jethro smiled at her. He knew she was right, Kelly was a people person despite the fact that she was still occasionally shy. The day she decided to _officially_ move out, he wouldn't be as stressed about letting her live on her own knowing she'd be able to look after herself.

Jethro sat up in the rocking chair, feeling lighter than he had a few minutes ago. He smirked at Jenny when she looked at him again. "Jen..." He gave her a charming smile, "You still have that shirt, don't you?"

Jenny rolled her eyes but didn't answer him. There was no way she was going to dig that skimpy white shirt out of a box just so he could see it, because he would want her to wear it all the time.

"Can you take him?" Jenny asked quietly.

Jethro got up, reaching out for his son and cradling him against his chest while Jenny closed her shirt and smoothed down her clothing.

Jenny wrapped an arm around Jethro's waist and leaned her head against his shoulder, watching Logan as he slept in his father's arms. If she thought back over the last fourteen years, she couldn't imagine what her life would have been like without Jethro and Kelly. Kelly had taught her that it was possible to love someone unconditionally.

Those first few weeks away from them all those years ago, she had been able to be angry at Jethro using that as an excuse to pretend not to love him. But with Kelly, she felt torn apart, ashamed of herself for leaving her, and then they had showed up and the – once little – girl had loved her as if nothing had happened.

Jethro leaned over the crib and placed Logan gently amongst his soft blue blankets, covering him with a light blanket. Standing back up he saw Jenny stare at the various photos adorning the nursery's wall, photos of every family member sharing in their joy. Pulling her closer he kissed her forehead.

"You have to move on from what happened back then, Jenny."

"I was just reflecting." Jenny looked up, smiling at Jethro. He gave her his lopsided smirk and kissed her tenderly.

Kelly blew a loose tendril of hair out of her face, dragging her bulging duffel bag out into the hall. She glared at her sisters as they simply watched her struggle, they were more concerned about moving into her old room than helping her. Tucking a wisp of dark curly hair behind her ear, she kicked her duffel bag towards the stairs, her ever present _All Star_ sneakers squeaking on the wooden floor.

Kelly looked up from gathering her things when she heard her parents close the nursery door. She smiled when her father glared at her bags, but gave her a reassuring grin when he swung her heavy duffel over his shoulder.

They made their way down stairs where her uncle was waiting for her, he had been on the phone ever since he had arrived.

James ended his call, running a hand through his dark curly hair he looked at the people descending the stairs. Anja was the first to attack him, giving him a tight hug before heading back to her mother. Adira gave him a shy smile and a hug. Holding out his hand he took the duffel bag from Gibbs. Turning to his oldest niece he smiled at her.

"You ready, Kel?"

"Yes, let's run now before Dad locks me in my room." Kelly smirked at her father when he glared at her.

Adira looked at her sister with watery eyes, trying to keep her cool she gave her big sister a hug. Holding her tight she whispered quietly, "Promise we'll talk whenever you have a chance?"

Kelly nodded, hugging her sister tighter. Despite their five year difference, they had shared everything with each other. "Always."

Stepping back Kelly turned to her little sister, who had opted to plant herself on the floor and glare at everyone around her. Kelly squatted in front of Anja, nudging her shoulder lightly with her fist. "Little worm," Kelly drawled as Anja looked away from her. "I love you, little worm."

Anja jumped to her feet and tackled her big sister, knocking them both to the floor. Kelly choked slightly and pried Anja's arms loose.

Anja looked at her sister with large eyes, "You promise you'll call everyday and tell me about all the yucky stuff you see?"

"All the yucky stuff, you got it."

Placing a hand on her chin she continued, "And your day, cause like I guess that's important too. Ooh, can you send like pictures of what you saw? That would be cool."

"You wanna know what I think?" Kelly asked as she struggled to her feet with her sister, "I think you're weird."

Anja giggle and hugged her big sister. "I'm going to miss you."

"Gonna miss you too, little worm." Kelly placed Anja on the floor and looked over at her mother who was doing a poor job at hiding her tears.

Jenny wiped at her eyes, shaking her head slightly at herself. Holding out her arms she reached for Kelly, wrapping her in a tight hug. She placed a hand on Kelly's hair and pressed a maternal kiss to her temple, holding her daughter at arms length she held up a finger, "You heard your sister, call whenever you get the chance."

"I will." Kelly answered with a smile.

Jethro grit his teeth painfully hard, he could feel the lump in his throat growing with each passing second. He looked at his eldest daughter as she stood before him. Blinking he was transported back to the day he had held for the first time.

 _Jethro dropped his duffel bag, wiping his hands on his trousers, he reached out for the bundle hesitantly._

 _Cradling the tiny baby close to his chest. He rested his hand on her chest softly, assuring himself that his daughter was in fact alive. He gently removed the edge of the blanket that was covering her face. His eyes were stinging again, and a lone tear slipped down his cheek. He traced her features gently, her skin soft under his callused fingertips. A proud smile graced his lips briefly, all he cared about in that moment was keeping his baby girl safe._

 _Jethro lifted the little bundle higher, kissing her forehead softly. The baby cooed quietly at the attention, her grey eyes blinking open briefly. He couldn't help but smile once again._

" _I'm your daddy, Kelly."_

"Daddy?" Kelly looked at her father as he suddenly wiped away the tears he had let slip.

Jethro smiled at his daughter and shook his head. He tugged her into a hug as well, holding her against his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the tears in his eyes. Ruffling Kelly's curly hair he pulled away, giving her a proud smile, "You go show them what us Gibbs' are made of."

"You bet ya, Gunny." Kelly saluted.

Kissing her father on the cheek she slung her backpack over her shoulder and stood next to her uncle.

"I'll bring her back safe and sound, Gibbs." James reassured.

Jethro wrapped an arm around Jenny and pulled her into his side. "I know. If Kyle shows up in Boston, you break his legs, okay?"

James laughed at the blush that spread across Kelly's cheeks, adjusting the duffel on his shoulder he met his brother-in-law's gaze, "Nah, I'll just shoot him."

A car horn sounded outside and they all sobered up.

They all stood on the porch waving as the taxi made its way down the road. Jethro shook his head when the girls raced each other back inside, already fighting about which movie they'd be watching first. He felt Jenny bury her face in his chest, and he gripped her tighter.

Eighteen years had brought a lot of change in his life. He'd gone from being a nervous single father, to being the father of four beautiful children. Looking down at Jenny, he met her emerald eyes. She was still as beautiful as the day he had met her, and he found her even more attractive with each day that passed.

Sliding a hand in her thick red curls, Jethro pressed his forehead against hers, nudging her cheek softly with his nose. They shared a quiet laugh.

"You, the kids..." Jethro said softly, "if it weren't for you, I don't think I would have made it this far."

Jenny smiled and nuzzled Jethro's cheek, "Kelly," she whispered, "she was our saving grace."

There was a lot behind her quiet admission. If it hadn't been for Kelly, they wouldn't have invested in something serious – they would have missed out on the wonderful life they had built together.

They met each other for a deep kiss, sharing the love and trust they had built over the years.

"This, us, the kids." Jethro said hoarsely, "It was heaven sent."

 _ **\- The End -**_

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it._

 _Your thoughts are welcome._


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